Patent decision

BL number

O/0315/23

Concerning rights in

GB1807232.2

Hearing Officer

Mr P Mason

Decision date

30 March 2023

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

WNS Global Services (UK) Limited

Provisions discussed

Section 1(2)

Keywords

Excluded fields (refused)

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The invention relates to the gathering of raw data relating to a brand from various sources across the internet and, in particular, social media sites. The raw data is classified, interpreted and weighted to determine a social equity index which provides an indication of how well regarded a particular brand is. This quantifiable measure of the social reputation of a brand can be compared against an industry benchmark and/or other similar brands. This provides insights into a brands real-time reputation and can form the basis for future business decisions.

The Hearing Officer applied the four-step approach set out in Aerotel/Macrossan and considered the five signposts set out in AT&T/CVON. He found the invention to be excluded as a method of doing business and a computer program as such and therefore refused the application under Section 18(3).

Full decision O/0315/23 402Kb