SpicyIP Tidbits: A Software Patent?

All these days I was under impression that computer programmes a.k.a softwares were not patentable under s.3(k) of the Patents Act notwithstanding the presence of a teeny-weenie “per se”. May be the patent office is in an “innovative” mood for according to the Business Line, one Mr.Ken Georgie Mathew had applied 18 months ago for a data verification tool called the “Authentic Track Record” (ATR) and so far he has not received any objections. Is it because the Patent Office is still mulling over patentability? Or is it because the examination is yet to begin? I am not sure which is better for Mr.Mathew. Readers may recall that Mr.Basheer had in an earlier post discussed the issue of patentability of softwares in India in the context of a computer implemented business method patent and this application may fall under the same category. Patentability aside, this tool certainly has a lot of advantages particularly for HR managers. According to Mr.Mathew, ATR is a software that verifies the credentials of potential employees. It works online and is capable of being integrated with other databases such as birth records and school records. Interestingly, this software may find application beyond the confines of the corporate world. For more details, visit www.authentictrackrecord.com . Apparently, NIF, along with IIM Ahmedabad, has agreed to incubate this project.