Patent decision

BL number

O/059/07

Concerning rights in

GB 0308992.7

Hearing Officer

Mr R C Kennell

Decision date

23 February 2007

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

MIB Partners Plc

Provisions discussed

PA 1977 section 1(2)

Keywords

Excluded fields (refused)

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The invention related to a system for assimilating, mapping and normalising data to provide a summary report. It was particularly intended to overcome the difficulties in benchmarking business performance through questionnaires by providing a system which could be implemented by computer so as to provide a one-page summary report. Refusing the application in the light of Aerotel/Macrossan [2006] EWCA Civ 1371, the hearing officer held that the contribution of the invention consisted solely of a computer program and/or a mental act. It was not therefore necessary to consider whether the contribution was technical in nature, although the hearing officer did not think it was. The hearing officer held that the invention was not excluded as a mathematical method or the presentation of information, and made no finding on whether it was excluded as a business method.

Full decision O/059/07 25Kb