Software Patents

Claim Against Yahoo! Messager Requires Logic Operations on Same Message(s)

Claim Against Yahoo! Messager Requires Logic Operations on Same Message(s)

Creative Internet Adver. Corp. v. Yahoo!, Inc., 2010-1215 (Fed Cir. April 22, 2011) [PDF]. Creative sued Yahoo! claiming Yahoo!’s instant messaging product, Yahoo! Messenger infringed U.S. Patent No. 6,205,432. The ’432 patent is directed to a system where references to advertisements are inserted between end users of an instant messaging software. The claim at issue [...]

The Difference One Word Makes: “Creating a Database ‘of’ Properties” Required a Prepopulated Database

The Difference One Word Makes: “Creating a Database ‘of’ Properties” Required a Prepopulated Database

Move, Inc. v. Real Estate Alliance, Dkt No. 2010-1236 (Fed. Cir. Mar. 22, 2011) [PDF]. Move sued Real Estate Alliance (Real) seeking declaratory judgment that Real’s U.S. Patent No. 4,870,576, and 5,032,989 (the ’989 patent) were invalid. Real appealed the district courts construction of claim 1 of the ’989 patent.  Claim 1 provides: A method [...]

Claims Require “Root Bus Controller” be Highest Order Bus Controller in Parallel Computing System

Claims Require “Root Bus Controller” be Highest Order Bus Controller in Parallel Computing System

Fifth Generation Computer Corp. v.  IBM, Dkt No. 2010-1201 (Fed. Cir. Jan 26, 2011) [PDF]. Fifth Generation sued IBM for alleged infringement of US patent 6,000,024, which is directed to binary tree parallel computing systems.  It  is well known that parallel computing systems attempt to increase processing speed by the use of multiple processors operating [...]

Repeated References to “Still” Image Precludes Coverage of Video Dispite Alternative Embodiment Reference

Repeated References to “Still” Image Precludes Coverage of Video Dispite Alternative Embodiment Reference

St. Clair Intellectual Prop. Consultants v. Cannon, 2009-1052 (Fed. Cir. 2011) [PDF] This case raised the issue of whether one or two references to an alternative embodiment (MPEG) in the specification can overcome the predominance and repeated reference to the first embodiment (still images). Two issues are explored here (1) whether all the claims were [...]

“Use” Infringment of a System Requires Control Sufficient to Put System in Service

“Use” Infringment of a System Requires Control Sufficient to Put System in Service

Centrillion Data Systems LLC v. Quest Communications International, 2010-1110  (Fed. Cir.  Jan 20, 2010) [PDF] This case addresses the issue of whether infringement may be found for a “use”–under 35 U.S.C. 271(a)– of a system claim, which includes elements in the possession of more than one actor, e.g., the service provider possesses some elements and [...]

Apple Patent Application Reveals iPhone FM Radio Receiver and Control

Apple Patent Application Reveals iPhone FM Radio Receiver and Control

On November 18, 2010, a patent application [USPTO, PDF] owned by published showing the use of a device, such as an iPhone, to control FM radio. Other sources have noted or speculated that the iPhone  has an FM radio receiver [The Register, CNet UK, iPhone Hacks]. This patent application supports the prior reports from CNet [...]

U.S. District Court Invalidates Computer Aided Method of Managing a Credit Application under Bilski

Dealertrack, Inc. v. Huber, et al., Doc. No. 06-2335 (C.D. Cal. 2009) [PDF] Summary. The court granted summary judgment finding the asserted claims directed to a computer aided method of managing a credit application were invalid as failing the machine-or-transformation test from Bilski. The court found the process claims were not tied to a particular [...]

Pay for a Software Patent Application or a Software Engineer?

Software companies and entruepunurs are faced with the question of whether to spend $8K to 15K to file a non-provisional patent application covering a software invention or whether the money is better spent to keep to the lights on or hire engineer to futher develop the product. Here are the factors you should consider when [...]

“End Software Patents” Group Lanches and Sparks Debate

The group “End Software Patents” was born recently and asserted that (1) software patent lawsuits result in $11.26 billion in costs; (2) non-software companies are increasingly targeted for software patent infringement suits; and (3) the USPTO and the US Supreme Court [link] do not support software patentability. [Report] Joff Wild of IAM questions the 11.26 [...]

Software and Information Industry Association Questions State Immunity

Software and Information Industry Association Questions State Immunity

The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) filed an amici curiae brief asking U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case where State sovereign immunity for patent infringement is at issue. The issue is whether a State waives its Eleventh Amendment immunity in patent infringement actions by regularly and voluntarily nvoking federal jurisdiction to enforce its [...]