Patent Eligibility Restoration Act of 2025

# Patent Eligibility Restoration Act of 2025 – Summary **What the bill would do:** This bill would change the rules for what inventions can be patented in the United States. Currently, the courts use a complex test to decide if something is eligible for a patent—they check if an invention falls into certain categories that are considered too abstract or fundamental to patent (like basic math formulas or natural processes), and then decide if there's enough of a creative "inventive concept" to warrant protection. This bill would simplify that process by creating a more specific list of what *cannot* be patented: basic math formulas not tied to a practical application, mental processes performed only in the human mind, and unmodified human genes as they naturally exist.

Everything else would be eligible for patent protection. **Who it affects:** This bill primarily impacts inventors, tech companies, biotech firms, and pharmaceutical companies seeking patent protection. It could make it easier for these groups to patent software, AI systems, and genetic inventions—areas where courts have recently rejected patents as "too abstract." Patent holders and companies in the biotechnology industry would likely benefit from clearer, broader eligibility rules. **Current status:** The bill was introduced in the Senate by Republican Thomas Tillis of North Carolina and is currently in committee, meaning it has not yet been debated or voted on by the full Senate.