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IBM v. Zillow Grp., Inc.

IBM v. Zillow Grp., Inc.

United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

October 17, 2022, Decided

2021-2350

Opinion

 [*1374]  Hughes, Circuit Judge.

International Business Machines Corporation sued Zillow Group, Inc. and Zillow, Inc. for infringement of several patents related to graphical display technology. The district court granted Zillow's motion for judgment on the pleadings, concluding that two of the asserted patents claimed ineligible subject matter under 35 U.S.C. § 101. Because we agree that the patents are directed to abstract ideas and lack an inventive concept, we affirm.

IBM owns U.S. Patent No. 9,158,789, which describes a method for "coordinated geospatial, list-based and filter-based [**2]  selection." '789 patent, at title. A user draws a shape on a map to select that area of the map, and the claimed system then filters  [*1375]  and displays data limited to that area of the map. It synchronizes which elements are shown as "selected" on the map and its associated list. Claim 8 is representative:

8. A method for coordinated geospatial and list-based mapping, the operations comprising:

presenting a map display on a display device, wherein the map display comprises elements within a viewing area of the map display, wherein the elements comprise geospatial characteristics, wherein the elements comprise selected and unselected elements;

presenting a list display on the display device, wherein the list display comprises a customizable list comprising the elements from the map display;

receiving a user input drawing a selection area in the viewing area of the map display, wherein the selection area is a user determined shape, wherein the selection area is smaller than the viewing area of the map display, wherein the viewing area comprises elements that are visible within the map display and are outside the selection area;

selecting any unselected elements within the selection area in response to the [**3]  user input drawing the selection area and deselecting any selected elements outside the selection area in response to the user input drawing the selection area; and

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50 F.4th 1371 *; 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 28655 **

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION, Plaintiff-Appellant v. ZILLOW GROUP, INC., ZILLOW, INC., Defendants-Appellees

Prior History:  [**1] Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington in No. 2:20-cv-00851-TSZ, Senior Judge Thomas S. Zilly.

IBM v. Zillow Grp., Inc., 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 193295 (W.D. Wash., Oct. 6, 2021)

Disposition: AFFIRMED.

CORE TERMS

display, layers, user, objects, patent, map, inventive, abstract idea, district court, non-spatially, recite, visual, attributes, rematching, plurality, generic, corresponding, selecting, screens, color, comprising, technology, interface, synchronizing, eligibility, rearranging, ineligible, functions, graphical, argues

Civil Procedure, Appeals, Standards of Review, De Novo Review, Patent Law, Jurisdiction & Review, Judgments, Pretrial Judgments, Judgment on Pleadings, Defenses, Demurrers & Objections, Motions to Dismiss, Failure to State Claim, Utility Patents, Process Patents, New Uses, Computer Software & Mental Steps, Principles & Results, Pleadings, Complaints, Requirements for Complaint, Defenses, Patent Invalidity, Grounds