Patent decision

BL number

O/359/07

Concerning rights in

GB0228165.7

Hearing Officer

Mr R C Kennell

Decision date

7 December 2007

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

Apputharai Chandrakumar and Kulanathan Kularajan

Provisions discussed

PA 1977 Section 1(2)

Keywords

Excluded fields (refused)

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The invention computerised the playing of “chit fund” games (traditional in SE Asia, in which a specified number of subscribers contribute to a fund on a number of subscription dates and then make bids for the total fund) to make them more flexible and attractive, eg for business purposes. Amongst other things, computerisation allowed a creditworthiness check on subscribers to be made at a remote server. Applying the test in Aerotel [2006] EWCA Civ 1371 and refusing the application, the hearing officer held that the contribution was not a new combination of hardware, but was a new way of playing a game relying on the programming of standard computer hardware items. Nothing in the contribution was not excluded as a computer program, a method of playing a game or a business method.

Full decision O/359/07 44Kb