"OK, having the algorithm only means there's a possibility to apply for a patent. American law is currently in the exploratory phase regarding protection for the computer software industry."
Mark casually pulled a newspaper from the desk and passed it to Dean and the others, "Look, Professor James from Boston Law School has criticized in 'The Washington Post' that legal rules relating to software patents seem to have gone too far.
He believes this limits innovation in the computer software industry and allows patent attorneys to circumvent the restrictions of Section 101 with legal drafting techniques."
"So the prevailing public opinion is in favor of encouraging innovation and against software patent barriers?" Dean frowned and asked his question.
"This isn't a simple true or false question, Dean." Mark winked at him, "Whether you can apply for a patent for software mainly depends on how many connections and resources you can muster."
