The decision leaves for future litigation questions about whether software that involves an algorithm based on natural laws, for example, or patents on certain medical procedures will survive review.
Webb, who holds some 40 patents, largely for medical devices, has yet to show the product to national retailers, rather seems to be focusing on a marketing and PR campaign to spread the word.
But companies have billions of dollars of investment and years of research on the line, with Myriad arguing that without the ability to recoup their investment through the profits that patents bring, breakthrough scientific discoveries needed to combat all kind of medical maladies wouldn't happen.