Mr Alton noted that the European Patent Office had refused to allow the equivalent patent because "it was found to be obvious".

BBC: ITC judge: Motorola Mobility infringed Microsoft patent

So any special rules for software patents will just push innovators and their patent lawyers to seek patent protection for hardware that achieves the same outcome, obtaining the synthetic equivalent of a software patent.

FORBES: Two Challenges to Fixing Software Patents (Part 2 of 3)

It would be nice, therefore, to believe that somewhere, the contemporary equivalent of a bored patent clerk is thinking about the problem, and that when he has thought hard enough, a new reality will emerge.

ECONOMIST: Physics