Alice/Mayo framework

The Alice/Mayo framework is a legal test used by courts to evaluate patent eligibility, especially for software and biotech inventions. It has two steps: first, determine if the invention is an abstract idea or natural law; second, if it is, check whether the patent claims add enough inventive elements to make it a patent-eligible application. This framework helps ensure that patents protect genuine innovations rather than just ideas or laws of nature, fostering innovation while preventing overly broad or abstract patents from monopolizing ideas.