The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has affirmed a lower court's dismissal of patent claims brought by the receivership estate of AudienceScience against Google and YouTube. The decision, issued Friday, upholds the Northern District of California's ruling that the asserted patents are invalid under Section 101.
The patents concern internet advertising technology. The Federal Circuit agreed with the district court that the claims are directed to abstract ideas and lack the inventive concept needed for patent eligibility. The ruling is a win for Google and YouTube, which had argued the patents covered well-known advertising practices.
For AudienceScience's estate, the decision ends the litigation unless further review is sought. The case is The Receivership Estate of AudienceScience Inc. v. Google LLC.