This Week's Assignment (11/19)

1. In re Bilski. The Supreme Court last week heard oral argument in a patent case involving so-called "business process" patents. The case involves a patent application for a commodities hedging technique. The issue is whether patents should be issued only for inventions that are scientific and technical in the conventional sense (machines, chemicals, etc.) or should extend to "softer" processes such as speed dating. Look at the following:

--WSJ article

--SCOTUS blog article

--California Federal Appeals Court case

--SCt oral argument

2. Is being rich the result of brains and hard effort, or just dumb luck? Read this.