Blog Post

Dec 6, 2016

Document Encryption Patent Found Patent-Eligible

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Encryption patents often face Alice challenges with varied results. Inventions that simply apply encryption to an age-old product or process are often held invalid under §101. Specific encryption algorithms, however, tend to stand a slightly greater chance of being held patentable under the theory that the invention improves a computer-centric technology. The more “technical” implementations of encryption have had the greatest success, with the District of Delaware giving the nod to yet another encryption patent.
 
The case of MAZ Encryption Technologies, LLC v. Blackberry Corp., (C.A. No. 13-304-LPS, D. Del. Sept. 29, 2016) involved an invention directed to transparently integrating encryption and decryption functionality into a document management system. The parties agreed on a representative claim, which the court found was directed to “frictionless, ‘behind-the-scenes’ encryption—when a user closes or saves a file, the invention automatically obtains an appropriate encryption key, encrypts the file, and saves the encrypted file in an [electronic document management system].” 
 
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