Dennis Crouch of Patently-O pleads with the courts to finally answer an important question:
> The result from this long history is that we still have software patents but they are hidden under the surface. They are harder to find, harder to examine, harder to understand, and thus much more problematic than they need to be. After fifty years of controversy; meandering administrative practice; and inconsistent Supreme Court decision making, it is time for the courts to take a stand and deliver the law in a way that is clear and precise. Finally answer the question Is software patentable?
For a less legalistic take, *see* [Ars Technica](http://feeds.arstechnica.com/~r/arstechnica/index/~3/JTzNygfMeII/).
*See also* [Google’s chief legal officer’s calls for software patent reform](http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/9/3479492/google-software-patent-reform) and [the general counsel at Rackpace saying they would “love to get rid of software patents”](http://feeds.arstechnica.com/~r/arstechnica/index/~3/FsH7juqHLJQ/).