Roman War Analogy Unravels Patent Used Against Audi, Tech Firms

A federal judge in the Eastern District of Michigan invalidated a vehicle tracking patent asserted against more than 30 technology and automotive companies, agreeing with Finnegan client Audi of America that the claims were directed to an unpatentable abstract idea. In dismissing WirelessWerx IP LLC's infringement suit, Judge F. Kay Behm compared the patent's geolocation concept to ancient military tactics, citing examples from the Roman Empire and other historical analogues, to illustrate that the claimed method merely organized human activity and could be performed mentally. The court held that U.S. Patent No. 7,323,982, which covered triggering actions based on the location of a movable entity, was ineligible under Section 101.

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