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One of the best TAL episodes in recent memory. The story mentions that modern patents (specifically software patents) lack the novelty that the patent system was originally designed to encourage. Did patent laws change at some point in history to allow this to happen?

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One of the best TAL episodes in recent memory.

Absolutely. While listening to it, one of my thoughts was "I can't wait to read the discussion of this over on HN".

I'm going to use this opportunity to remind people to donate to their local public radio station, TAL/WBEZ Chicago, or both.

The audio version of the story mentions that it was a decision by the patent office, not specific legislation. Sometime in the 1980s they went from copyrighting software (i.e., treating it like literature or art) to patenting it.

No, the audio version mentions that the patent office used to operate on the principle that software could be copyrighted but not patented, but sometime in the 80s the judiciary indicated in several instances that was not the case and the patent office complied.

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