Advances in information technology have enabled the design and development of innovations in business methods. This is particularlyfelt with IT enabled innovations such as Sun Microsystems' statelessshopping cart for the web which is a Web shopping cart system that does not require any data files to be maintained on either the client or the server. Firms attempt to leverage these innovations to gain competitive advantages through cost reduction and other quality improvements， which may also pass some benefits on to consumers. However， such competitive advantages are mcreasingly difficult to sustainbecause business method innovations are often easy to copy or imitate.Quick and cheap imitation of innovative products and processes mayreduce the incentives for firms to invest further in innovation. Thus，patent protection for business method inventions became a live issue with different outcomes as between the US and Europe. At present， in the US， business method patents are legally recognised since the State Street Ban，k decision， 149 F. 3d 1368 （US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit 1998）.
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