Southfield, Mich. – On November 16, 2018, the U.S. Court Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that a software security patent owned by Ancora Technologies, Inc. is eligible for patent protection. The decision reverses a prior district court ruling. Brooks Kushman shareholders Marc Lorelli, Mark Cantor, John LeRoy and John Rondini represented Ancora in the Federal Circuit appeal.
Ancora owns U.S. Patent No. 6,411,941, which claims a method for identifying and permitting software to run on a particular authorized computer. In 2016, Ancora filed suit against HTC America, Inc. and HTC Corporation alleging infringement of the ‘941 patent.
In its decision on the case of Ancora Technologies, Inc. v. HTC America, Inc., No. 2018-1404 (Fed. Cir. Nov. 16, 2018), the Federal Circuit ruled that Ancora’s patent was eligible because method claimed in the patent was “a concrete assignment of specified functions among a computer’s components to improve computer security[.]” The court remanded the case to the district court for further proceedings on Ancora’s infringement claims.
“The Court’s decision confirms that Ancora’s invention is eligible for patenting,” said Lorelli, who argued the case on behalf of Ancora. “We were proud to attain a positive ruling for our client, and it will allow us to continue our efforts to prevent the infringement of the technology.”
About Brooks Kushman P.C.
Brooks Kushman P.C. is a leading intellectual property (IP) and technology law firm with offices across the nation, and represents clients nationally and internationally with respect to protection, enforcement and monetization of IP, including patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. The firm has more than 90 intellectual property professionals specializing in various technical disciplines, and has a reputation for providing leading IP counseling with a focus on the business objectives of their clients.
Brooks Kushman counts a number of Fortune 100 companies across a variety of industries among its clients. The firm is also recognized by leading legal publications and rankings, including Corporate Counsel magazine, U.S. News & World Report, Law360, Intellectual Asset Management, Managing Intellectual Property, and Intellectual Property Today. For more information, please visit www.BrooksKushman.com.
