Automated invention antiquates patent law

An anticoagulant drug candidate, the cross-bristle design of a toothbrush and the aerodynamic nosecone for a high-speed train are all products of automated invention processes, says Robert Plotkin, author of The Genie in the Machine. Plotkin says an invention revolution is underway and the transition from traditional manual inventing to computerized inventing has radical implications for patent law, driving the need for reform. Plotkin interview