'Ordinary Innovation'

摘要

The U.S. Supreme Court, making one of its rarernforays into patent law, in late April decided a case that will raise the bar for inventors. After the High Court's decision, there is now something called "ordinary innovation" that is not patentable: the combination, uniting, or arrangement of known elements, techniques, items, or devices where, in the combination, everything performs the functions they were designed to perform. The bottom line? Ordinary engineering that engineers perform in the course of their usual day-today activities may not be patentable.