Alice v. CLS Bank

Alice v. CLS Bank was a Supreme Court case that addressed whether computer-implemented inventions are eligible for patent protection. The Court ruled that merely implementing abstract ideas—like financial transactions—on a computer does not make them patentable. To qualify, an invention must include an inventive concept that transforms the abstract idea into a concrete, practical application. This decision aimed to prevent overly broad or vague patents on abstract ideas, encouraging genuine innovation while avoiding restrictions on fundamental techniques or concepts that should remain free for all to use.