In Rain Computing, Inc. v. Samsung Elecs. Co., No. 2020-1646 (Fed. Cir. Mar. 2, 2021), the Federal Circuit reversed a judgment of non-invalidity and in doing so provided clarity to its post-Williamson (792 F.3d 1339 (Fed. Cir. 2015)) means-plus-function case law and the required disclosure of structure to avoid an indefiniteness issue. This guidance is … Continue Reading
Despite the fact that open source or so-called “free” software has been available for more than 30 years, and is likely used in the vast majority of software programs being developed today, many people remain confused as to what it is, how licensing it works, and how is it different from software in the public … Continue Reading
Recent reports indicate that Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to build a digital health unit within and assign a number of digital scientists to the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. The digital health unit addresses the proliferation of digital technology and software being used in the medical community, specifically in medical devices. As … Continue Reading
On Sept. 13, 2016, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit gave applicants and patentees another tool with which to argue for the patent eligibility of their software innovations, finding that McRO’s lip-synchronizing patents were eligible under 35 U.S.C. § 101. Judge Reyna, joined by Judges Taranto and Stoll, determined that representative claim 1 … Continue Reading
Today in Enfish v. Microsoft, the Federal Circuit held software claims patent eligible, reversing the district court’s grant of summary judgment on 101. This is a major decision because it is only the second since Alice where the Federal Circuit has held patent claims eligible (DDR being the first). Further, the case heavily emphasizes that … Continue Reading
Last week, a federal jury in Wisconsin awarded almost $1 billion to Epic Systems Corporation in its trade secrets case against Indian consulting company Tata Consulting Services, Ltd., and its American unit, Tata America International Corporation. Epic provides software for medical groups, hospitals, and integrated health care organizations. Tata was hired by one of Epic’s … Continue Reading
In early February a decision out of the Southern District of New York added another layer of dicta supporting the notion that software created by an independent contractor can qualify as a work-for-hire. In Stanacard, LLC v. Rubard, LLC, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15721 (S.D.N.Y. February 3, 2016), the court found in dicta that work … Continue Reading