SAN FRANCISCO — The abstract idea test is becoming more concrete at the Federal Circuit.
A two-judge panel of the appellate court ruled Wednesday that a method for guaranteeing online financial transactions is not patent eligible under Section 101 of the Patent Act. Although BuySAFE v. Google reads as a routine application of settled law to the facts, just six months ago the case had prompted a stormy argument session that pointed toward another in a long line of divisive Section 101 rulings from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
