IP Newsflash

Judge Orrick in the Northern District of California recently granted a motion for judgment on the pleadings that the asserted claims are invalid for claiming patent-ineligible subject matter under 35 U.S.C. § 101. The patents-at-issue are directed to flight control systems for aircraft. The court found the claims unpatentable because they recite abstract mathematical techniques carried out by generic components performing their conventional functions.

Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Cameron Elliot recently found no violation of Section 337 in part because the claims recite patent-ineligible subject matter under 35 U.S.C. § 101. The patents are directed to polycrystalline diamond compacts (PDCs) used in drill bits for high-abrasion applications, such as earth-boring. The ALJ found that the claims recite conventional structural features combined with patent-ineligible performance measures and side effects.

Chief Judge Lynn in the Northern District of Texas recently granted a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss a complaint alleging patent infringement because the claim-at-issue recites patent-ineligible subject matter under 35 U.S.C. § 101. The patent is directed to transmitting data wirelessly from data sensors. The court found that the claim recites the abstract idea of processing and transmitting data.