Bilski: What It Means, Part 2 — Listening to the Dissenting Opinions

“So that’s why you see the court here made up of folks old
enough, probably, in some cases to be your grandfather or at least
your father. That doesn’t mean they are out of it or unable to
think. Just as you would show respect to your father or
grandfather, knowing they have more life experience than you do,
it’s perfectly appropriate to show respect to those in the
judiciary. But does your grandfather understand computers? Your
parents? Did you have to show them how to do email? I’m guessing
yes. I know I did.

“There probably isn’t a single judge on this court who grew up
with computers in his or her life. But look at their backgrounds a
little more carefully, and you’ll see that while they may not know
what you know about tech, they are certainly highly educated and
highly accomplished individuals in their area of expertise, namely
patent law. Let’s focus on those who wrote opinions, now. The
entire court was involved in the decision, but only six wrote
opinions:”

Complete
Story