UK Grants Rare Computer Program Patent
March 24, 2008 | by Christopher Nickson
The UK gives a rare patent for a computer program to mobile phone company Symbian.
It might seem strange, but in the UK it’s rare for a company to be granted a patent on a computer program. According to the BBC, the way the 1977 Patents Act and subsequent case law is worded.
That means mobile phone company Symbian is very happy to have been given a patent for a computer program, although it had to go to the High Court to get it. And the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO), which initially refused to grant a patent, has immediately launched an appeal to gain clarification over when it should grant patents.
The Symbian patent is on a Dynamic Link Library (DLL), a way to structure and update the way small files are collected, and one common in computer operating systems. In a statement the company said,
"Symbian is pleased with the ruling and feels strongly that this decision will strengthen the position of British technology companies in the global market."
The waters had been muddied by the fact that although the UK IPO had initially refused the patent, it had been granted by the European Patent Office. The UK IPO appeal should help establish guidelines in the country for the granting of patents.
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