It appears as though software patents' almost-identical twin, namely business methods patents, has just lost a tooth.

Ruling May Make It Harder to Protect Business Methods

A federal appeals court has issued a ruling that may make it more difficult to obtain and enforce so-called business-method patents, which are granted for abstract processes rather than specific devices. Legal experts say the decision could help financial-services and software companies facing a barrage of patent-infringement litigation brought by patent holders.

Patents pertaining to business methods are forbidden here in the United Kingdom. The same goes for software patents, which can be virtually ignored. However, looking elsewhere as well, some people (including and even notably Microsoft) seem to be finding workarounds, which is violation of the law, at least in South Africa.

For entertainment value, here is Google's CEO talking about intellectual property, which is not the same thing as patents and must not be confused for it.