Patent Eligibility Clarity Tops Attorneys’ New Year’s Wish List

Patent attorneys are hoping that Congress or the Supreme Court will provide more clarity in 2020 about what inventions are eligible for patent protection.

“We’re still searching for where the line is,” said attorney Michelle Armond, who founded Armond Wilson LLP and represents clients in a broad range of intellectual property disputes. “I don’t know if that’s going to come from the Supreme Court at this point or from a legislative fix, but this is an area of law that definitely needs some consistency.”

The Supreme Court will have opportunities to wade into patent eligibility standards. The justices have already ...