ABSTRACT IDEA

By SovConn | July 27, 2014

abstract  idea.Intellectual  property.  A  concept  or  thought,  removed  from  any  tangible

embodiment. • An abstract idea is one of the categories of unpatentable subject matter, along with

natural phenomena and laws of nature. But a process that uses abstract ideas to produce a useful

result  can  be  patented.  Copyright  law  likewise  will  not  protect  an  abstract  idea,  but  only  its

expression. The law of unfair competition, on the other hand, does protect abstract ideas that meet

the other criteria of a trade secret. See business-method patent under PATENT. [Blacks Law 8th]

Posted in Law Dictionary Definitions