New criteria for restricting the scope of what the US Patent Office considers patent-worthy poses a threat to numerous software patents, including Google's famed PageRank.
The US Patent and Trademark Office is swamped, so they're going the Digg.com route. Embarking on a patent review pilot project that will allow the online public to comment on patent applications, the USPTO is hoping the experts of the world will share the load.
The USPTO is not, however, that keen on P2P.
The first step to find out if your invention can be patented is to conduct a free patent search online in any free patent information database online.
An updated filing with the USPTO shows Apple has added video files to the Goods and Services description in the iPod trademark record.