On September 18, in a pair of identical opinions against Google and Apple, Eastern Virginia District Judge Michael Nachmanoff ruled that four patents related to geolocation of mobile devices are invalid under 35 U.S.C. § 101. The defendant in each case was Geoscope Technologies PTE, LTD. The cases are listed as Geoscope Technologies PTE, LTD. v. Apple Inc., Case No. 1:22CV1373, and Geoscope Technologies PTE, LTD. v. Google LLC, Case No. 1:22CV1331.
Section 101 of the United States Code Title 35 provides the legal basis for what inventions and discoveries are patentable. It states “Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent.” According to the Section 101, these four patents claimed “patent-ineligible” subject matter, rendering them invalid.
The patents owned by Geoscope Technologies involve geolocation of mobile devices, an essential function in modern communication tools. However, Judge Nachmanoff’s ruling indicates that these patented ideas were not deemed to be new and useful processes, machines, or manufactures, as required by Section 101.
The implications of this ruling can be significant for both Apple and Google, industries giants that rely heavily on location-based features for their mobile devices. The facts could also potentially set new precedents in the area of patent law, especially concerning the geolocation technology.
More specific details about the cases and the patents involved can be found in the original article.