One-click? Not so Fast – Amazon.com Goes Back to the Patent Office

2011-12-05

ROBIC,LLPwww.robic.ca
info@robic.com
MONTREAL
1001Square-Victoria-BlocE-8thFloor
Montreal,Quebec,CanadaH2Z2B7
Tel.:+1514987-6242Fax:+1514845-7874QUEBEC
2828LaurierBoulevard,Tower1,Suite925
Quebec,Quebec,CanadaG1V0B9
Tel.:+1418653-1888Fax.:+1418653-0006

ONE-CLICK?NOTSOFAST–AMAZON.COMGOESBACKTOTHEPATENT
OFFICE
LOUIS-PIERREGRAVELLE,ADAMMIZERA,ERIKAPAAPE,JEAN-FRANÇOISJOURNAULT*
ROBIC,
LLP
L
AWYERS,PATENTANDTRADE-MARKAGENTS

TheFederalCourtofAppealhasjustrendereditsdecision
1concerning
Amazon.com’s”one-click”onlineorderingtechnology.Thisdecisioncomesjust
monthsafterthePatentOfficeissueditspracticenoticeinresponsetotheFederal
Court’sruling,alittleoveroneyearago.
Thisdecisionwillundoubtedlyleavemanyunsatisfied,astheCourtreferredthecase
backtotheCommissionerforreviewinaccordancewiththeprinciplesestablishedin
thedecision.Thus,althoughthecourtisgenerallyinagreementwiththeanalysis
performedbyJudgePhelanlastyear,inthiscase,ithasruledthatthelackofexpert
evidencedidnotpermitittomakeaninformedinterpretationoftheclaims(referredto
as”claimconstruction”).
Amongthemoreinterestingpointsofthisruling,theFederalCourtofAppealhas
confirmedthatCanadiancaselawdidnotexpresslyexcludebusinessmethodsas
patentablesubjectmatterinCanada,andalsoobjectedtotherequirement,originally
formulatedbytheCommissioneratthetime,thattheinventionbe”scientific”or
“technological”innaturetobeconsideredapatentableart.Therejectionofthe”form
andsubstance”approachfordeterminingthepatentabilityofclaimedsubjectmatter
wasalsoconfirmed.
Inaddition,theFederalCourtofAppealalsosupportedtheFederalCourt’suseofthe
test
2setoutintheProgressiveGames3case,forthedeterminationofwhat
constitutesapatentable”art”.

©CIPS,2011.
*FromROBIC,LLP,multidisciplinaryfirmofLawyers,andPatentandTrade-markAgents.Published
intheSpring2011(Vol.15,no.3)Newsletterofthefirm.Publication068.141E.
12011FCA328,http://decisions.fca-caf.gc.ca/en/2011/2011fca328/2011fca328.html(FCA;2011-11-
12)
2Foranarttobepatentable:
(i)itmustnotbeadisembodiedideabutmusthaveamethodofpracticalapplication;
(ii)itmustbeanewandinventivemethodofapplyingskillandknowledge;and
(iii)itmusthaveacommerciallyusefulresult
3ProgressiveGamesInc.v.Canada(CommissionerofPatents),177F.T.R.241(F.C.T.D.),aff’d
(2000),9C.P.R.(4th)479(F.C.A.)

ThemainareaswheretheFederalCourtofAppealdi
sagreeswiththetrialjudge
concern,ontheonehand,thedistinctiontobemadebetweenpatentableand
unpatentablebusinessmethodsinCanada,andontheother,thedefinitionofwhat
constitutesa”changeofcharacterorconditionofaphysicalobject”inthecontextof
thepracticalapplicationcriterionintheabove-mentionedtest.

TheFederalCourtofAppealdisavowstheinterpretationgivenbytheFederalCourt
totheeffectthatabusinessmethod,whichinitselfisanabstractidea,canbecome
patentablesimplybecauseithasapracticalapplication.Tosupportthisargument,
theFederalCourtofAppealpointsoutthatinlightoftheSchlumberger
4decision,the
merefactofusingacomputertoperformamathematicalformulainordertogiveita
practicalapplicationwouldnotrenderthemethodpatentable.TheFederalCourtof
Appeal,however,refusedtocommentastowhetherAmazon’s”one-click”technology
issimplyanalgorithmornot.
Furthermore,theFederalCourtofAppealstatesthatinsofarastheFederalCourt
impliesthattherequirementof”changeofcharacterorconditionofaphysicalobject”
maybesatisfiedbythefactthattheclaimedinventionhasapracticalapplication,this
interpretationmustberejected.However,theFederalCourtofAppealshowsa
willingnesstoseeitsunderstandingofthephysicalityrequirementevolvewith
advancesinknowledge.
Inlightoftheseteachings,theFederalCourtofAppealultimatelyconcludedthatthe
patentabilityofthependingclaimsofthisapplicationdependontheclaim
construction,andthatinthiscase,expertevidenceisrequiredtoproperlyunderstand
themannerinwhichcomputersareusedtoputanabstractideatouse.

ThedecisionoftheFederalCourtofAppealthusprovidessomeclarificationonthe
criteriafordeterminingwhetherasoftware-relatedinnovationshouldbeconsidered
aspatentableinCanada.However,therefusaloftheCourttoruleonthe
interpretationtobegiventothecurrentlypendingclaimsforthe”one-click”method
andsystemstillleavesroomfordoubtontheboundariesdefiningpatentablesubject
matterofinnovationsinthetechnologicalarts.
Thepartieshave60daysafterthedateofthejudgmentofNovember24,2011,if
theywishtofileapetitionforleavetoappealthisdecisiontotheSupremeCourtof
Canada.

4SchlumbergerCanadaLtd.v.Canada(CommissionerofPatents),(1981)56C.P.R.(2d)204
(F.C.A.);leavetoappealrefused(1982)63C.P.R.(2d)261(S.C.C.)

ROBIC,ungrouped’avocatsetd’agentsdebrevetse
tdemarquesdecommercevouédepuis1892à
laprotectionetàlavalorisationdelapropriétéintellectuelledanstouslesdomaines:brevets,dessins
industrielsetmodèlesutilitaires;marquesdecommerce,marquesdecertificationetappellations
d’origine;droitsd’auteur,propriétélittéraireetartistique,droitsvoisinsetdel’artisteinterprète;
informatique,logicielsetcircuitsintégrés;biotechnologies,pharmaceutiquesetobtentionsvégétales;
secretsdecommerce,know-howetconcurrence;licences,franchisesettransfertsdetechnologies;
commerceélectronique,distributionetdroitdesaffaires;marquage,publicitéetétiquetage;poursuite,
litigeetarbitrage;vérificationdiligenteetaudit.ROBIC,agroupoflawyersandofpatentand
trademarkagentsdedicatedsince1892totheprotectionandthevalorizationofallfieldsofintellectual
property:patents,industrialdesignsandutilitypatents;trademarks,certificationmarksandindications
oforigin;copyrightandentertainmentlaw,artistsandperformers,neighbouringrights;computer,
softwareandintegratedcircuits;biotechnologies,pharmaceuticalsandplantbreeders;tradesecrets,
know-how,competitionandanti-trust;licensing,franchisingandtechnologytransfers;e-commerce,
distributionandbusinesslaw;marketing,publicityandlabelling;prosecutionlitigationandarbitration;
duediligence.
COPYRIGHTER
IDEASLIVEHERE
ILATOUTDEMÊMEFALLUL’INVENTER!
LAMAÎTRISEDESINTANGIBLES
LEGERROBICRICHARD
NOSFENÊTRESGRANDESOUVERTESSURLEMONDEDESAFFAIRES
PATENTER
R
ROBIC
ROBIC+DROIT+AFFAIRES+SCIENCES+ARTS
ROBIC++++
ROBIC+LAW+BUSINESS+SCIENCE+ART
THETRADEMARKERGROUP
TRADEMARKER
VOSIDÉESÀLAPORTÉEDUMONDE,DESAFFAIRESÀLAGRANDEURDELAPLANÈTE
YOURBUSINESSISTHEWORLDOFIDEAS;OURBUSINESSBRINGSYOURIDEASTOTHE
WORLD
Trade-marksofROBIC,
LLP(“ROBIC”)