Software patent owners given rare boost in Federal Circuit Enfish decision

May 17 2016

The Federal Circuit has found software patents valid under Alice for only the second time, in Enfish v Microsoft. The decision gives valuable ammunition for opposing a Section 101 challenge to software patent claims and may also mean the recent USPTO patent eligibility guidance needs to be updated

Unlock this content.

The content you are trying to view is exclusive to our subscribers.

To unlock this content:

Take a Free Trial or Login

Topics

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Patents

Dolby and IP Bridge sue Skyworth in Brazil

The Via members, represented by Licks Attorneys, target the Chinese company and three local outfits, adding to Brazil’s emergence as a key SEP litigation venue

Sanjana Mishra, February 02 2026

Trademarks

Double exposure Close up of rows of coins for finance and banking concept Coin finance investment diagram Savings for a growing business city background with coins is popular.

Stobbs reports 1,700% profit hike after previous £1m fall

The firm, which has revealed profits of £990,837, claims it is the disruptive force in the IP-legal industry

February 02 2026

Patents

Clinical trial medicine, for the covid-19 coronavirus, on clipbo

Clinical trial protocols disclosed without results: a threat to patent novelty?

In the first of a two-parter, lawyers at Santarelli analyse the patentability of therapeutic inventions where publication of clinical trial protocols occurs before the application's filing date

Gabrielle Faure-André , February 02 2026

Patents

Big Data concept. Digital neural network.Business woman hand tou

Invention leadership in the AI age: Insights from the world’s top innovators

Arun Hill at Clarivate assesses the Top 100 Global Innovators 2026 list, including why AI has assumed a strategic importance for innovation

Arun Hill, February 02 2026

Managing IP Awards

Managing IP EMEA Awards 2026: shortlists to be revealed in February

Practitioners and law firms should keep their eyes peeled for the shortlists for our annual awards

Max Walters, February 02 2026

Patents

View of a crowd with a network of connections. Big data, smart city, wifi concept.

Talent Tracker 2025 review: Morgan Lewis tops list for US partner hires

Despite a broader slowdown in US IP partner hiring in 2025, litigation demand drove aggressive lateral expansion at select firms

Sanjana Mishra, January 30 2026

Patents

Partners greenlight Winston & Strawn-Taylor Wessing merger

Winston Taylor is expected to launch in May 2026 with more than 1,400 lawyers across the US, UK, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East

Noemi Distefano, January 30 2026

Patents

This week on MIP: Ex-Google employee convicted of trade secrets theft | India proposes design reform

News of White & Case asking its London staff to work from the office four days a week and a loss for Canva at the Delhi High Court were also among the top talking points

Sukanya Sarkar, January 30 2026

Patents

‘A next generation boutique’: Anand & Siu seeks to fill market gap

With boutiques offering an attractive alternative to larger firms, former Gilbert’s partner Nisha Anand says her new firm will be built on tech-smart practitioners, flexible fees, and specialised expertise

Sanjana Mishra, January 30 2026

Two IP barristers among latest group to ‘take silk’

IP specialists Jonathan Moss and Jessie Bowhill, who worked on cases concerning bitcoin, Ed Sheeran, and the Getty v Stability AI dispute, received the KC nod

January 29 2026