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I don't know how it is now, but when I graduated my understanding was that as long as your degree was in the general field, you were qualified to review the pat

I don't know how it is now, but when I graduated my understanding was that as long as your degree was in the general field, you were qualified to review the patent application. So a machine could be reviewed by someone with any engineering degree - industrial, chemical,civil, etc. And my brother's friend - a civil engineer - used to periodically call me to ask me about some coding-related patent. And I - definitely a non-hacker - would always respond "that's just a best practice. anyone who's had a few undergrad programming classes knows that. how can that be patentable". Hopefully, it's changed, but I wouldn't count on it.

jacques_chester 14y ago
I dunno. What I know about patents is what my lawyer has been telling me. There's basically about a zillion ways for a patent to fail, examination is only one. For example, when I lodge in national offices, my application will become public. Anybody will be able to lodge objections and I will be on the hook for the lot, basically.
rayiner 14y ago
Most patents are reviewed by people with corresponding qualifications within the broad categories: mechanical, chemical, biological, electrical. Software tends to fall into the electrical camp.