Over the past decade, thousands of patents have been granted for what are called business methods. Amazon.com received one for its “one-click” online payment system. Merrill Lynch got legal protection for an asset allocation strategy. One inventor patented a technique for lifting a box.
Now the nation’s top patent court appears completely ready to scale back on business-method patents, which have been controversial ever since they were first authorized 10 years ago. In a move that has intellectual-property lawyers abuzz, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said it would use a particular case to conduct a broad review of business-method patents. In re Bilski, as the case is known, is “a very big deal,” says Dennis D. Crouch of the University of Missouri School of Law. It “has the potential to eliminate an entire class of patents.”
Curbs on business-method claims would be a dramatic about-face, because it was the Federal Circuit itself that introduced such patents with its 1998 decision in the so-called State Street Bank case, approving a patent on a way of pooling mutual-fund assets. That ruling produced an explosion in business-method patent filings, initially by emerging Internet companies trying to stake out exclusive rights to specific types of online transactions. Later, more established companies raced to add such patents to their files, if only as a defensive move against rivals that might beat them to the punch. In 2005, IBM noted in a court filing that it had been issued more than 300 business-method patents, despite the fact that it questioned the legal basis for granting them. Similarly, some Wall Street investment firms armed themselves with patents for financial products, even as they took positions in court cases opposing the practice.
The Bilski case involves a claimed patent on a method for hedging risk in the energy market. The Federal Circuit issued an unusual order stating that the case would be heard by all 12 of the court’s judges, rather than a typical panel of three, and that one issue it wants to evaluate is whether it should “reconsider” its State Street Bank ruling.
The Federal Circuit’s action comes in the wake of a series of recent decisions by the Supreme Court that has narrowed the scope of protections for patent holders. Last April, for example, the justices signaled that too many patents were being upheld for “inventions” that are obvious. The judges on the Federal Circuit are “reacting to the anti-patent trend at the Supreme Court,” says Harold C. Wegner, a patent attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School.
1. Business-method patents have recently aroused concern because of ________.
2. Which of the following is true of the Bilski case?
3. The word “about-face” (Para. 3) most probably means ________.
4. We learn from the last two paragraphs that business-method patents ________.
5. Which of the following would be the subject of the text?
问题1选项
A.their limited value to businesses
B.their connection with asset allocation
C.the possible restriction on their granting
D.the controversy over their authorization
问题2选项
A.Its ruling complies with the court decisions.
B.It involves a very big business transaction.
C.It has been dismissed by the Federal Circuit.
D.It may change the legal practices in the U.S.
问题3选项
A.loss of good will
B.increase of hostility
C.change of attitude
D.enhancement of dignity
问题4选项
A.are immune to legal challenges
B.are often unnecessarily issued
C.lower the esteem for patent holders
D.increase the incidence of risks
问题5选项
A.A looming threat to business-method patents.
B.Protection for business-method patent holders.
C.A legal case regarding business-method patents.
D.A prevailing trend against business-method patents.
第1题:C
第2题:D
第3题:C
第4题:B
第5题:A
第1题:
【整体分析】
来源：Bloomberg《彭博资讯》于2008年2月21日刊登的文章A Pending Threat to Patents（对专利的潜在威胁）。
主题：本文主要探讨了美国最高专利法院对商业方法专利的限制趋势。文章指出在过去十年间，大量商业方法专利被授予，引发了争议。然而，最高专利法院和联邦巡回上诉法院近期的裁决表明他们倾向于限制商业方法专利的范围。文章提到了具体的案例比尔斯基案，该案将由全部12名法官审理，并可能导致商业方法专利被重新评估。这一行动被视为对最高法院反专利趋势的回应。总之，文章讨论了商业方法专利的争议以及对其限制的可能性。
结构：
【试题解析】
【选项释义】
Business-method patents have recently aroused concern because of ________. 商业方法专利最近引起了人们的关注，因为________。
A. their limited value to businesses A. 它们对企业的价值有限
B. their connection with asset allocation B. 它们与资产分配的关系
C. the possible restriction on their granting C. 它们的批准可能受到限制
D. the controversy over their authorization D. 它们的授予引起争议
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词Business-method patents可以定位到文章第二段第一句“现在，美国最高专利法院似乎完全准备限制商业方法专利（scale back on business-method patents）”，这是一个“让知识产权律师们议论纷纷的举动（has intellectual-property lawyers abuzz）”，说明商业方法专利引起人们关注的原因是法院准备限制其授予，因此C选项“它们的批准可能受到限制”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“它们对企业的价值有限”，由Over the past decade, thousands of patents have been granted for what are called business methods.（过去十年间，已经授予了成千上万项所谓商业方法的专利。）可知，商业方法专利对企业很有价值，属于反向干扰；
B选项“它们与资产分配的关系”，由Merrill Lynch got legal protection for an asset allocation strategy.（美林证券获得了资产配置策略的法律保护。）可知，资产分配的商业方法专利只是为了举例说明授予的数量之多，与引起人们关注的原因无关，属于曲解原文；
D选项“它们的授予引起争议”，由which have been controversial ever since they were first authorized 10 years ago（这些专利自从十年前首次获得授权以来一直备受争议）可知，商业方法专利一直以来就有争议，与最近引起人们关注无关，属于曲解原文。
第2题:
【选项释义】
Which of the following is true of the Bilski case? 以下哪项是比尔斯基案的真实情况？
A. Its ruling complies with the court decisions. A. 其裁决符合法院的决定。
B. It involves a very big business transaction. B. 它涉及一个非常大的商业交易。
C. It has been dismissed by the Federal Circuit. C. 它已被联邦巡回法院驳回。
D. It may change the legal practices in the U.S. D. 它可能会改变美国的法律惯例。
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词Bilski case可以定位到文章第二段最后一句“它‘有可能消除整一个专利类别（eliminate an entire class of patents）’”，说明比尔斯基案可能会导致美国法院未来对专利法律惯例方面的改变，因此D选项“它可能会改变美国的法律惯例。”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“其裁决符合法院的决定。”在文中没有提及，属于无中生有；
B选项“它涉及一个非常大的商业交易。”，由In re Bilski, as the case is known, is “a very big deal”（比尔斯基案这个大家都知道的案子“事关重大”）可知，文章是说这个案子很重大，而不是指大的交易，属于曲解原文；
C选项“它已被联邦巡回法院驳回。”，由the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said it would use a particular case to conduct a broad review of business-method patents（美国联邦巡回上诉法院表示将利用一起特别案例对商业方法专利进行广泛审查）可知，法院是通过这个案子对商业方法专利进行审查，不是要驳回此案，属于曲解原文。
第3题:
【选项释义】
The word “about-face” (Para. 3) most probably means ________. “about-face”（第3段）这个词最有可能意味着________。
A. loss of good will A. 善意的丧失
B. increase of hostility B. 敌意的增加
C. change of attitude C. 态度的改变
D. enhancement of dignity D. 尊严的增强
【考查点】词汇推断题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词about-face可以定位到第三段第一句“对商业方法专利的限制将是一个重大about-face，因为在1998年，正是联邦巡回上诉法院自己在判决名为道富银行案时引入了这样的专利”，上文说到法院准备限制商业方法专利，但最初正是法院自己引入了这样的专利，说明这是一个改变，因此C选项“态度的改变”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“善意的丧失”，B选项“敌意的增加”和D选项“尊严的增强”在文中均无法体现，属于无中生有。
第4题:
【选项释义】
We learn from the last two paragraphs that business-method patents ________. 我们从最后两段得知，商业方法专利________。
A. are immune to legal challenges A. 不受法律挑战的影响
B. are often unnecessarily issued B. 往往是不必要地授予的
C. lower the esteem for patent holders C. 降低了对专利持有者的尊重
D. increase the incidence of risks D. 增加了风险的发生率
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词the last two paragraphs可以定位到文章最后一段第二句“例如，去年四月，法官们表示太多专利被授予给了平淡无奇的‘发明’（too many patents were being upheld for “inventions” that are obvious）”，说明很多商业方法专利的授予是没有必要的，因此B选项“往往是不必要地授予的”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“不受法律挑战的影响”，C选项“降低了对专利持有者的尊重”和D选项“增加了风险的发生率”在文中均没有提及，属于无中生有。
第5题:
【选项释义】
Which of the following would be the subject of the text? 以下哪项是本文的主题？
A. A looming threat to business-method patents. A. 对商业方法专利的一个潜在的威胁。
B. Protection for business-method patent holders. B. 对商业方法专利持有者的保护。
C. A legal case regarding business-method patents. C. 一个关于商业方法专利的法律案例。
D. A prevailing trend against business-method patents. D. 一个反对商业方法专利的普遍趋势。
【考查点】主旨大意题。
【解题思路】文章主要讨论了美国最高专利法院和联邦巡回上诉法院对商业方法专利进行限制和审查的动态。文章提到了近期的裁决限制了专利持有人的保护范围，特别提到了比尔斯基案作为一个重要的案例，有可能消除整个商业方法专利类别。由此可知，文章的主题可以被概括为商业方法专利面临威胁和限制，因此A选项“对商业方法专利的一个潜在的威胁。”正确。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“对商业方法专利持有者的保护。”在文中没有提及，属于无中生有；
C选项“一个关于商业方法专利的法律案例。”只在文章的某部分提及，不能概括全文的主旨大意，属于以偏概全；
D选项“一个反对商业方法专利的普遍趋势。”，由reacting to the anti-patent trend at the Supreme Court（回应最高法院的反专利趋势）可知，目前只有最高法院有反商业方法专利的趋势，还没有到普遍的程度，属于过度推断。
【重点词汇】
controversy /ˈkɒntrəvɜːsi/ n. 争议；争论
authorized /ˈɔːθəraɪzd/ adj. 被授权的；合法的
patent /ˈpætnt/ n. 专利；专利权
exclusive /ɪkˈskluːsɪv/ adj. 独占的；专有的
hedging /ˈhɛdʒɪŋ/ n. 对冲；保值
explosion /ɪkˈspləʊʒən/ n. 爆炸；激增
panel /ˈpænəl/ n. 小组；座谈小组
upheld /ʌpˈhɛld/ v. 维持；支持
prevailing /prɪˈveɪlɪŋ/ adj. 流行的；普遍的
intellectual-property 知识产权
defensive move 防御性举措
scale back 减少；缩减
stake out 标榜；宣称
beat someone to the punch 抢先一步
be armed with 装备有；凭借
in the wake of 在……之后
【长难句分析】
1. In a move that has intellectual-property lawyers abuzz, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said it would use a particular case to conduct a broad review of business-method patents.
【结构分析】
【补充分析】
① that引导定语从句，修饰move，描述这个行动引起了知识产权律师的激烈讨论；
② it would use a particular case to conduct a broad review of business-method patents是省略了that的宾语从句，作said的宾语，解释了法院的行动，即他们计划使用一个特定的案例来进行商业方法专利的广泛审查。
【参考译文】在一个让知识产权律师们议论纷纷的举动中，美国联邦巡回上诉法院表示将利用一起特别案例对商业方法专利进行广泛审查。
2. In 2005, IBM noted in a court filing that it had been issued more than 300 business-method patents, despite the fact that it questioned the legal basis for granting them.
【结构分析】
【补充分析】
① that引导宾语从句，作noted的宾语，解释了IBM在法庭文件中提到的内容，即IBM已经获得了300多项商业方法专利；
② that引导同位语从句，作fact的同位语，进一步说明IBM对这些专利的法律依据持怀疑态度的事实。
【参考译文】2005年，IBM在法庭文件中指出，尽管对授予这些专利的法律依据表示质疑，但它已获得了300多项商业方法专利。
【全文翻译】
过去十年间，已经授予了成千上万项所谓商业方法的专利。亚马逊公司获得了其“一键式”在线支付系统的专利。美林证券获得了资产配置策略的法律保护。有人申请了一个提箱技术的专利。
现在，美国最高专利法院似乎完全准备限制商业方法专利，这些专利自从十年前首次获得授权以来一直备受争议。在一个让知识产权律师们议论纷纷的举动中，美国联邦巡回上诉法院表示将利用一起特别案例对商业方法专利进行广泛审查。比尔斯基案这个大家都知道的案子“事关重大”，密苏里大学法学院的丹尼斯•D.克劳奇说。它“有可能消除一整个专利类别”。
对商业方法专利的限制将是一个重大转变，因为在1998年，正是联邦巡回上诉法院自己在判决名为道富银行案时引入了这样的专利，批准了一项关于共同基金资产筹集方法的专利。该裁决引发了商业方法专利申请的激增，最初是由新兴互联网公司试图确保对特定在线交易类型的专有权。后来，更多老牌公司争相将这类专利收入囊中，即使只是为了防范可能先下手为强的竞争对手的防御型举措。2005年，IBM在法庭文件中指出，尽管对授予这些专利的法律依据表示质疑，但它已获得了300多项商业方法专利。同样，一些华尔街投资公司也通过申请金融产品专利来武装自己，即使他们在诉讼案件中对这一做法持反对态度。
比尔斯基案涉及一项关于能源市场风险对冲方法的专利申请。联邦巡回上诉法院发布了一项不寻常的命令，宣布该案将由法院的所有12名法官审理，而不是通常的三人小组，另外它希望评估的一个问题是是否应该“重新审议”道富银行裁决。
联邦巡回上诉法院的行动是在最高法院最近一系列裁决之后采取的，这些裁决已经限制了专利持有人的保护范围。例如，去年四月，法官们表示太多专利被授予给了平淡无奇的“发明”。专利律师兼乔治•华盛顿大学法学院教授哈罗德•C.韦格纳表示，联邦巡回上诉法院的法官们正在“回应最高法院的反专利趋势”。
