Source: https://bannerwitcoff.com/ip-alert-step-one-and-done-to-patent-eligibility/
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 14:31:50+00:00

Document:
01.12.18 | IP Alert: Step One and Done to Patent Eligibility: Finjan, Inc. v. Blue Coat Systems, Inc.
There are several takeaways from Finjan.[xi] Notably, building on its precedent in Enfish, the Federal Circuit has reaffirmed that purely software-based inventions that do no interact with the tangible world remain patent-eligible subject matter. Moreover, the Finjan court’s reasoning reiterates the importance of drafting a patent specification that showcases and contrasts inadequacies of prior art solutions. Finally, Finjan underscores the continuing importance of claim construction in obtaining a favorable patent-eligibility holding—even more so when the claimed method only recites three steps.
Click here to download the decision in Finjan, Inc. v. Blue Coat Systems, Inc.
[i] Finjan, Inc. v. Blue Coat Systems, Inc., appeal no. 2016-2520, slip op. at p. 9 (Fed. Cir. Jan. 10, 2018); See, Alice Corp. Prop. Ltd. v. CLS Bank Int’l, 134 C. St. 2347, 2355 (2014).
[ii] See Eslinger, “Breaking: Fed. Cir. Ruling Prompts Mistrial in Symantec Unit IP Case,” Jan. 10, 2018 (available at www.law360.com).
[iii] See Finjan, appeal no. 2016-2520, slip op. at p. 6.
[iv] See Id., slip op. at pp. 6-7.
[v] See Id., slip op. at 7.
[vi] See Id., slip op. at 8.
[vii] Enfish, LLC v. Microsoft Corp., 822 F.3d 1327 (Fed. Cir. 2016).
[viii] See Finjan, slip op. at pp. 8-9 (contrasting Apple, Inc. v. Ameranth, Inc., 842 F.3d 1229 (Fed. Cir. 2016); Affinity Labs of Tex., LLC v. DIRECTV, LLC, 838 F.3d 1253 (Fed. Cir. 2016); Intellectual Ventures I LLC v. Symantec Corp., 838 F.3d 1307 (Fed. Cir. 2016)).
[ix] See Finjan, slip op. at p. 9.
[x] See Finjan, slip op. at p. 9.
[xi] While it should not have any effect on this patent-eligibility holding, we note that on remand from the Federal Circuit’s Finjan decision, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled a mistrial and ordered a new jury trial of the ’844 patent to start on Feb. 12, 2018, but only on the issue of the alleged new infringement by Blue Coat. See Finjan Inc. v. Blue Coat Systems Inc., case nos. 5:15-cv-03295 and 5:13-cv-03999, both in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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