Business method patent grants to its holder exclusive rights to a particular way of doing business. Business method patents are a relatively new species of patent and there have been several reviews investigating the appropriateness of patenting business methods. The U.S. Patent and Trademark OfÞ ce (USPTO) reports that, in 1998, 1300 patent applications pertained to business methods and 420 such patents were issued. In 2000, 7500 applications for business method patents were Þ led, and 1000 such patents were issued. In India The Patents (Amendment) Act, 2002, with effect from May 20, 2003 declared a mathematical or business method or a computer program per se or algorithms, as not being an invention within the meaning of the patent statute.
Key words: Business method, India, patents.
