Intellectual Property - Philosophy
<p>Can I patent a philosophy? </p>

<p>I'm very new to IP law and was disappointed to find out that the US now uses a first to file system like everyone else. Before spending money on legal services, I want to educate myself as much as possible.</p>

<p>I've been working on a philosophical concept which can be boiled down to a very simple qualitative formula. It is going to be the foundation for a number of entrepreneurial projects of mine. The simple formula is very high level. If a philosophy can be patented, I need to get an understanding of what level of detail and explanation is most appropriate.</p>

<p>Can anyone recommend reading/web resource on this subject, law firms worth discussing this with or other resources in the New York area?</p>

<p>No, you can only patent:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof</p>
</blockquote>

<p><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/35/101" rel="nofollow">35 USC 101</a></p>

<p>The courts have read into this (along with being informed by constitutional constraints) judicial exceptions which preclude abstract ideas, laws of nature, and mathematical formulas from being patentable subject matter.</p>

patents intellectual-property