Jon Muskin

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Judge Mayer Just Doesn’t Like Business Method Patents

Alexsam, Inc. v. IDT Corporation is a non-remarkable patent infringement decision with a remarkable dissent. What is noteworthy about the case is not the majority opinion, but the dissent by Judge Haldane Robert Mayer. Mayer’s dissent discusses why the patent is invalid under 35 U.S.C. § 101, which is curious because the 101 issue was not raised by the defendants during the appeal nor even mentioned during oral arguments. While Mayer’s dissent is not a binding opinion, if another judge on the panel signed on to Mayer’s reasoning then the patent would have been held invalid based on an issue not raised during the appeal.