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Section 101 United States Patent and Trademark Office CLS Bank v Alice Corp

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Patent Office Publishes Subject Matter Eligibility Guidance

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

On July 16, 2024, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) announced new guidance for examination of patent applications directed to critical and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI)....more

Weintraub Tobin

And Again, Abstract Ideas are Not Patentable!

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The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down many patents on the grounds that they are invalid as directed to an abstract idea, relying on the Supreme Court’s Alice decision. In In re Elbaum (Fed. Cir. 12/20/2023)...more

Fenwick & West LLP

New Patent-Eligibility Bill Introduced to Congress

Fenwick & West LLP on

Subject-matter eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101 has been a hot-button issue in United States patent law since 2014, when the U.S. Supreme Court decided Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank Int’l. In that case, the Supreme Court decided...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

More on Professor Sarnoff's Perspective on Tillis Patent Eligibility Bill

As promised in our earlier post (see "Professor Sarnoff Provides His Perspective on Tillis Bill"), here we turn to Professor Joshua Sarnoff's thoughts on the portions of Senator Thom Tillis' (R-NC) bill regarding diagnostic...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

Patent Eligibility Reform Introduced in Congress Once Again: Is the Second Time the Charm?

In an ideal world, patent eligibility would be a simple, clear, and non-controversial inquiry.  After all, the purpose of 35 U.S.C. § 101 is to inform the public which types of inventions are eligible for patenting and which...more

McDermott Will & Emery

PTO Issues Report to Congress on Patent Eligible Subject Matter

McDermott Will & Emery on

On June 24, 2022, the US Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) issued a report to Congress titled “Patent Eligible Subject Matter: Public Views on the Current Jurisprudence in the United States.” The report comes in response to a...more

AEON Law

Patent Poetry: Big Tech Companies and Startups Disagree about Impact of Patent Law

AEON Law on

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently issued a study entitled “Patent eligible subject matter: Public views on the current jurisprudence in the United States.” The report was prepared in response to a...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

The Supreme Court Sidesteps America's Patent Eligibility Crisis

In an order that is clearly less impactful and damaging than a number of opinions that the Supreme Court has disgorged in the last two weeks, the justices have denied certiorari in American Axle & Mfg. Inc. v. Neapco Holdings...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

Could Alice Be Used to Invalidate Diehr? Of Course It Could

The Supreme Court's Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank Int'l case has been criticized for setting forth a patent eligibility analysis that is unworkably subjective. As a consequence, the validity of particular types of inventions,...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

Gree, Inc. v. Supercell Oy (Fed. Cir. 2020)

One would think that inventions relating to computer game software would easily meet the requirements for patent eligibility, as these inventions fundamentally involve technological processes and require computer...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

On the Patent Eligibility of Graphical User Interfaces: Part I

The evolution of graphical user interfaces parallels the evolution of computing technology itself.  As computers grow more powerful and sophisticated, so does their ability to display cutting-edge representations of...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

Stupid § 101 Tricks

If we have learned anything from the last six-and-a-half years of patent eligibility jurisprudence, it is that nobody knows what's going on. Subject matter eligibility is a fundamental requirement for an invention to be...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

The Three Properties of Patent-Eligibility: An Empirical Study

Patent eligibility is a bit of a mess these days.  Ever since the Supreme Court handed down the Alice v. CLS Bank decision six years ago, the distinction between what might be subject matter that can be patented and what is...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

Electronic Communication Technologies, LLC v. ShoppersChoice.com, LLC (Fed. Cir. 2020)

Electronic Communication Technologies (ECT) sued ShoppersChoice in the Southern District of Florida for allegedly infringing claim 11 of U.S. Patent No. 9,373,261.  The claim recites...more

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

Patent Prosecution Tool Kit: Update on Patent Subject Matter Eligibility & Abstract Ideas

Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Alice v. CLS Bank, patent stakeholders have faced many difficulties navigating the world of patent-eligibility. Through many Federal Circuit decisions and Guidance given by the U.S....more

Mintz - Intellectual Property Viewpoints

Recent USPTO Report Suggests Greater Consistency and Predictability in Patent-Ineligible Subject Matter Rejections

Last week, the US Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) released a report detailing its findings on how the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International, as well as subsequent USPTO guidance on 35...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

USPTO Assesses the Impact of Patent Eligibility's Changing Landscape

In a post-truth world, it is more tempting than ever to evaluate data based on gut instinct, intuition, and anecdotal evidence.  It is thus refreshing when results of a robust statistical analysis are published, even if the...more

Fenwick & West LLP

New USPTO Study Examines the Effects of Alice and USPTO Guidelines on Patent Eligibility

Fenwick & West LLP on

On Thursday, April 23, the USPTO released a new study entitled “Adjusting to Alice: USPTO patent examination outcomes after Alice Corp v. CLS Bank International.” The report illustrates the dramatic impact of two developments...more

Knobbe Martens

Claims Including Computer Speed and Efficiency Improvements May Still Be Ineligible Under Section 101

Knobbe Martens on

CUSTOMEDIA TECHNOLOGIES, LLC V. DISH NETWORK CORPORATION, DISH NETWORK LLC. Before Prost, Dyk, and Moore. Appeal from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Summary: Claims...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

What is an Abstract Idea, Anyway?

In 2014's Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank Int'l case, Justice Thomas famously wrote, "we need not labor to delimit the precise contours of the 'abstract ideas' category in this case."  Instead, he found the claims of patentee Alice...more

Fish & Richardson

Patenting Software: A Case Study in Overcoming Alice (Updated)

Fish & Richardson on

In 2014, the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision in Alice Corporation Pty. Ltd. v. CLS Bank International, et al., 573 U.S. 208, which significantly altered the patentability of software, business methods,...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

The Zombie Apocalypse of Patent Eligibility Reform and a Possible Escape Route

The hopes of anyone in favor of patent reform targeting 35 U.S.C § 101 have been official dashed -- or at least put on hold.  In an interview with the Intellectual Property Owner's association (IPO) last week, Senator Thom...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

iLife Technologies, Inc. v. Nintendo of America, Inc. (N.D. Tex. 2020)

With the eligibility rubric of Alice v. CLS Bank, an applicant/patentee must navigate a minefield of pre-issuance and post-issuance validity challenges under 35 U.S.C. § 101 in order to obtain and enforce a patent....more

Knobbe Martens

Trends and Changes in View of the USPTO’s Updated Revised Guidance (Presentation)

Knobbe Martens on

Partner Mauricio Uribe hosted a webinar presenting, "Trends and Changes in View of the USPTO's Updated Revised Guidance." Topics Include: • Summary of the October 2019 Update to the Revised Guidance •...more

Knobbe Martens

Effect of USPTO’s October 2019 101 Guidance

Knobbe Martens on

The USPTO has released updated subject matter eligibility guidance that incorporates comments on the changes made in January 2019.The guidance is 22 pages long, with three appendices and 87 footnotes. Below are a few of the...more

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