Can You Patent Something Invented by a Machine?

Dear Rich: Can you patent an invention that was designed by invention software? How much human involvement is required to be considered to be invented by humans? Can an invention created by invention software be considered nonobvious under patent law? We wish we had the answers to these questions but, fortunately, we know someone who does. Attorney Robert Plotkin has written a book, The Genie in the Machine: How Computer-Automated Inventing Is Revolutionizing Law and Business and the Dear Rich staff interviewed him as part of the Nolo podcast series. You can listen to Robert Plotkin's answers here.