Patent for Vehicle Tracking and Control System Directed to Ineligible Subject Matter

Finnegan achieved a significant win for its client, Audi of America, as the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan dismissed a patent infringement suit brought by WirelessWerx IP, LLC. The court held that all asserted claims of U.S. Patent No. 7,323,982, directed to a geofencing-based vehicle control system, were invalid under Section 101. 

The court found the representative claim to be directed to the abstract idea of location-based control and lacking any inventive concept beyond generic computer components. Drawing on multiple Federal Circuit precedents involving GPS and location-driven decision-making, the court concluded that the patent merely implemented routine human activities and mental processes using conventional technology. 

WirelessWerx’s request to amend its complaint was also denied, and the case was dismissed with prejudice, securing a complete and final victory for Audi. 

Read Patent for Vehicle Tracking and Control System Directed to Ineligible Subject Matter