英國對軟體專利的態度
在英國專利法中，提到可專利與不可專利的標的，如下：
可專利的事項：
(a)新的發明
(b)具有進步性
(c)有產業利用性
不可專利的事項：
(a)發現、科學理論、數學方法
(b)文學、戲劇、音樂、藝術活動、美學創作
(c)心智活動、遊戲、商業活動、電腦軟體
(d)資訊表示
在此規定之後提到，如果發明僅涉及上述不可專利事項的本身（as such），則不可專利，但其衍生的技術若有技術貢獻，即便是著墨在上述法定不可專利的事項，仍不排除為可專利的標的（可參閱1997年Fujitsu案例）
[原文]
Patentable inventions
1.
(1) A patent may be
granted only for an invention in respect of which the following
conditions are satisfied, that is to say -
(a) the invention is new;
(b) it involves an inventive step;
(c) it is capable of industrial application;
(d) the grant of a patent for it is not excluded by subsections (2) and (3) or section 4Abelow;
and references in this Act to a patentable invention shall be construed accordingly.
(2)
It is hereby declared that the following (among other things) are not
inventions for the purposes of this Act, that is to say, anything which
consists of -
(a) a discovery, scientific theory or mathematical method;
(b) a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work or any other aesthetic creation whatsoever;
(c) a scheme, rule or method for performing a mental act, playing a game or doing business, or a program for a computer;
(d) the presentation of information;
but
the foregoing provision shall prevent anything from being treated as an
invention for the purposes of this Act only to the extent that a patent
or application for a patent relates to that thing as such.
“technical
contribution” is needed to make a potentially excluded thing patentable，Fujitsu上訴案例,
1997"
Fujitsu對於自己在英國專利局提出的申請案被駁回的情況，於1997年上訴英格蘭與威爾斯上訴法院（Court of Appeal of England and Wales）。
相關專利為英國公開
GB2254458A「METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MODELING SYNTHETIC CRYSTAL STRUCTURE」
涉及在電腦中型塑晶體結構的工具，這個工具讓使用者可以利用新的材料組合在電腦中模擬出晶體結構，相較於先前以手作的方式，此方式為透過電腦演算的技術自動產生模擬結果。
專利範圍獨立項如下：
1. A method for modeling a synthetic crystal structure formed of a first
crystal structure having a plurality of atoms and lattices and a second
crystal structure having a plurality of atoms and lattices, said method
comprising the steps of:
(a) representing said first crystal
structure by using a first coordinate system and said second crystal
structure by using a second coordinate system;
(b) specifying a
first atom, a first lattice and a first crystal face of said first
crystal structure, said first crystal face including said first atom and
said first lattice;
(c) specifying a second atom, a second lattice
and a second crystal face of said second crystal structure, said second
crystal face including said second atom and said second lattice;;
(d) transforming said second crystal structure system represented by
said second coordinate system into a second crystal structure
represented by said first coordinate system so that an assembling
condition is satisfied, said assembling condition being defined as a
condition in which said second atom, said second lattice and said
crystal face of said second crystal structure are respectively
superposed on said first atom, said first lattice and said first crystal
face of said first crystal structure; and
(e) adding said second
crystal structure represented by the first coordinate system to said
first crystal structure represented in step (a), sc that a synthetic
crystal structure formed of said first and second crystal structures
represented by the first coordinate system, is obtained.
其中之一裝置範圍如下：
9. An apparatus for modeling a synthetic crystal structure formed of a
first crystal structure having a plurality of atoms and lattices and a
second crystal structure having a plurality of atoms and lattices, said
apparatus comprising:
selection means for selecting first data
corresponding to said first crystal structure and second data
corresponding to said second crystal structure, said first data being
represented by a first coordinate system, and said second data being
represented by a second coordinate system;
first specifying means,
coupled to said selecting means, for specifying a first atom, a first
lattice and a first crystal face of said first crystal structure, said
first crystal face including said first atom and said first lattice;;
second specifying means, coupled to said selection means, for
specifying a second atom, a second lattice and a second crystal face of
said second crystal structure, said second crystal structure including
said second atom and said second lattice;
transformation means for
transforming said second crystal structure system represented by said
second coordinate system into that represented by said first coordinate
system so that an assembling condition is satisfied, said assembling
condition being defined as a condition in which said second atom, said
second lattice and said crystal face of said second crystal structure
are respectively superposed on said first atom, said first lattice and
said first crystal face of said first crystal structure; and
display means for displaying second crystal structure, obtained by said
transformation means, along with said first crystal structure selected
by said selection means, so that a synthetic crystal structure formed of
said first and second crystal structures represented by the first
coordinate system is displayed by said display means.
其實英國法院對此類電腦軟體的專利態度是依循著歐洲專利局的決定，也就是：即便為抽象概念的軟體發明，但如果有技術貢獻，仍不排除其具有專利性的可能。
但對此軟體發明而言，顯然是個有用的工具（useful tool），但是仍不能排除是一個電腦軟體，僅是把原本手作的動作改成自動的電腦程式，被認定沒有技術貢獻（no technical contribution），結果是確認英國專利局的核駁決定，認為發明為電腦程式本身（computer program as such）。
最後狀態：
08.04.1997 Appeal to the Court of Appeal dismissed;leave to appeal to the
House of Lords refused.
後語：
這件專利申請人已經在說明書與權利範圍下足功夫避免被認定是純粹的電腦軟體，
但是結果在當年的上訴法院的氣氛下是不符可專利標的的，這確實也與多年前歐洲
對軟體專利的保守態度差一致，但如今，我認為應該是有可專利的機會的！不過這
已經形成案例，仍需有一些申請人願意挑戰才知道！
另外，專利制度與判斷標準確實是與時俱進，不斷改變，如果申請人一味用結果怪
罪撰寫的工程師或事務所，或處理的IH工程師(updated on Dec.22,2012)，這真是需要
再加油。沒有sense的行為！
Ron
資料參考：
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_patents_under_United_Kingdom_patent_law
