What is the difference between pure software patents and software-related patents?

1. The software itself cannot be patented. According to Item (2) of Paragraph 1 of Article 25 of the Patent Law, no patent right is granted to the rules and methods of intellectual activities. If only algorithms or mathematical calculation rules are involved, or computer programs themselves or computer programs only recorded on carriers (such as tapes, disks, optical disks, ROM, PROM, VCD, DVD or other computer-readable media), or rules and methods of games, they belong to the rules and methods of intellectual activities and do not belong to the object of patent protection.

2. Inventions involving computer programs can apply for invention patents. An invention involving a computer program refers to a solution in which, in order to solve the problems raised by the invention, it is entirely or partially based on a computer program processing flow, and a computer program compiled according to the above flow is executed by a computer to control or process external or internal objects of the computer. Such as "a game device", which includes not only the computer program itself, but also the input device or executive mechanism, belongs to the object of patent protection.