Fed. Cir. Rejects Fishing Method Patent Application as Abstract
Written April 30, 2020
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on April 24, 2020, affirmed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s (PTAB) rejection of a fishing patent application because the invention relies on an abstract idea. In re Rudy, Fed. Cir., No. 19-2301, 4/24/20.
Christopher Rudy applied for a patent on a method of picking a fishhook color based on water conditions. The PTAB found that Rudy’s invention covers an abstract idea, and the Federal Circuit agreed, finding that nothing in the claims transforms the invention into a patent eligible application of that abstract idea.