Some groups and individuals claim that software patents are never valid in part because the functionality of a piece of software is predetermined by the capabilities of the underlying hardware. For this reason, all software should fail on the novelty test. Do some reading and research into the issues. Choose a side and argue either for or against software patents. To receive credit, you must provide at least one good reference to back up your views or base your views on established law as you know it. Are Software Patents Evil? http://www.paulgraham.com/softwarepatents.htmlLinks to an external site. Links to an external site.End Software Patents - http://endsoftpatents.org/Links to an external site. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_patentLinks to an external site. Is software patentable in the US? https://www.shahiplaw.com/software-patents/Links to an external site. Extracurricular: After addressing the above, feel free to comment on these trending thoughts: Can researchers circumvent protection mechanisms to reverse engineer trade secrets for the purpose of compatibility and / or functional integration with other systems? Try to bring a case to bear