High court considers copycat patent case

The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments Tuesday in a closely watched patent case that could allow companies to copy their rivals' products without breaking patent laws. The court is considering whether to overturn a lower court ruling that limits a patent's scope in the case of Festo vs. Shoketsu Kinzoku Koygo Kabushiki. Technology companies, including IBM and Hewlett-Packard, are tracking the case because it could determine whether some copycat technology products are legal.