Final answer:
A service is perishable if its effects are short-term. This characteristic defines services that cannot be stored for future use or sale. Perishability is not directly related to patentability, which varies in importance across different industries.
Step-by-step explanation:
A service is considered perishable if its effects are short-term. This term usually describes services that cannot be stored, saved, returned, or resold once they have been used or after a specific date. A perfect example is a seat on a flight; once the plane departs, the opportunity to sell that seat perishes. As such, perishability predominantly affects the service industry and it's not directly related to whether the service can be patented or not. Patents protect inventions or processes but not every new idea like a business model or organizational technique can be patented. In some rapidly advancing industries like biotechnology or semiconductor design, patents might become less critical as technology evolves swiftly. Moreover, shorter patent protection periods could impact the incentive for innovation, potentially leading to a decrease in research and development activities.