Patent decision

BL number

O/0649/23

Concerning rights in

GB2110709.9

Hearing Officer

Mr B Buchanan

Decision date

10 July 2023

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

EMC IP Holding Company LLC

Provisions discussed

Patents Act 1977, section 1(2)(c)

Keywords

Excluded fields (refused)

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The invention relates to means for enabling audits of enterprise data management systems, for instance to prove compliance with regulations. Blockchain add-ons are present in various components of an enterprise network (such as in backup systems, storage systems and data management systems), and these define a blockchain network that creates a secure ledger of all of the enterprise data transactions. The blockchain network includes an auditing node which receives records of all the enterprise data transactions as part of the ledger. The auditing node can be securely accessed and used by an external auditing service. The Hearing Officer applied the four step Aerotel/Macrossan test and considered the AT&T signposts. The alleged contribution reflected the blockchain network being an enterprise network, the immutability of the audited record by virtue of it being a blockchain ledger and the provision of secure third-party access to the ledger via a node in a cloud auditing service. It was found not to provide the required technical effect and the claimed invention was found to relate solely to a method for doing business and a program for a computer as such, so the application did not meet the requirements of section 1(2)(c). The application was refused under section 18(3).

Full decision O/0649/23 388Kb