Editing Software patent (section)

==Obviousness==
A common objection to software patents is that they relate to trivial inventions.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2005/jun/20/comment.comment|work=The Guardian|location=London|title=Patent absurdity|date=June 20, 2005|access-date=May 23, 2010|first=Richard|last=Stallman}}</ref> A patent on an invention that many people would easily develop independently of one another should not, it is argued, be granted since this impedes development.

Different countries have different ways of dealing with the question of [[inventive step and non-obviousness]] in relation to software patents. Europe uses an 'Inventive step test'; see the [[Inventive step under the European Patent Convention|Inventive step requirement in Europe]] and, for instance, [[T 258/03]].