Hyperlinks and other forms of browser-executable code are not allowed in patent applications, according to a Feb. 1 internal memorandum from Stephen G. Kunin to the Patent Examining Group Directors of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
A Web site address is often called a hyperlink, especially when it is surrounded by browser-executable code such as the symbols “.” When an issued patent is placed on the PTO Web page, Kunin explained, Web site addresses contained in the patent may be interpreted as valid HTML code and become live hyperlinks that, when clicked on, take users to Web sites.
