[cduan]

I find it interesting that now both the FTC and a good chunk of the Supreme Court* have warned against vague patents. So far it has been generally hard to challenge patents on grounds of vagueness, as it can only be done in court during an infringement lawsuit. The new patent reform bill provides a mechanism for doing so through the Patent Office, and if it is enacted, it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

*In the recent Bilski case, four justices noted the "potential vagueness of business method patents." Four more justices thought that business methods were unpatentable outright.