USPTO Finds in Favor of Finnegan Client SAP in First Post-Grant Review Ruling

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 11, 2013

Contact:    Erika Harmon Arner, 571.203.2754

                    Partner

USPTO Finds in Favor of Finnegan Client SAP in First Post-Grant Review Ruling

WASHINGTON, DC - On Tuesday, June 11, 2013, the Patent Trial and Appeals Board (PTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued its first decision in a post-grant review of a covered business method patent. The ruling favored Finnegan client SAP, finding all the challenged claims of U.S. Patent No. 6,553,350, owned by Versata Software, unpatentable under section 101 of the Patent Act.

Established as part of the America Invents Act (AIA), the new post-grant review procedures that took effect on September 16, 2012, enabled the USPTO to reconsider the patentability of “covered business method patents,” like the ’350 patent. The PTAB patent trial began with a petition filed by Finnegan on behalf of client SAP on the first day the new law took effect. “This ruling that issued just nine months from filing is a milestone in AIA implementation, and we are pleased with the positive result for our client SAP,” said Finnegan partner Erika Arner, who argued the case before the Board.

About Finnegan

With more than 375 intellectual property lawyers, Finnegan is one of the largest IP law firms in the world. From offices in Washington, DC; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts; Palo Alto, California; Reston, Virginia; Brussels, Belgium; Shanghai, China; Taipei, Taiwan; and Tokyo, Japan, the firm practices all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law, including counseling, prosecution, licensing, and litigation. Finnegan also represents clients on IP issues related to international trade, portfolio management, the Internet, e-commerce, government contracts, antitrust, and unfair competition. For additional information on the firm, please visit www.finnegan.com.

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