The class discussed copyright and intellectual property issues, and this could be a landmark case that could bring about sweeping change to the current rules.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/will-the-supreme-court-roil-the-software-industry-2009-11-09
In summary, someone applied for a patent for a method and was denied because there wasn't a physical device or transformation. This ruling in a federal appeals court could set a precedent which invalidates software patents since all software is just a method. Overly broad patents such as the use of training videos for people as well can stifle innovation, however no patents for an entire industry could cause serious issues. The majority of work done in fields such as dynamics and control is modeling complex motions and writing algorithms(methods) to control a system. Some of these algorithms take years of developement and refinement by teams with Ph.D's in the field and the lack of patent availability would cut into the funding for such research.
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