The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has ruled that Versata Software’s patent claims against SAP be cancelled as they are ‘unpatentable’.
Versata filed a lawsuit against SAP in 2007 alleging that the German firm’s pricing software infringed a number of its patents.
In August 2009, Versata won a patent lawsuit against SAP America and its German-based parent company SAP AG, relating to the pricing technology, after jury imposed $138m fine.
Earlier this year, a US federal appeals court rejected SAP’s bid to overturn a $345m patent infringement judgement awarded to Versata Software against it.
The USPTO said Versata claims recite unpatentable abstract ideas and do not provide enough significant meaningful limitations to transform these abstract ideas into patent-eligible applications of these abstractions.
Reacting to USPTO ruling, SAP spokesman Andy Kendzie was quoted by Bloomberg as saying that: "This is a very significant and positive milestone for us. We recognise this is one step in the process that’s still being played out."
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