案例討論：
原告：Intellectual Ventures
被告：Trend Micro（趨勢科技）、SYMANTEC CORPORATION
審理法院：District Court of Delaware（No.10-cv-01067、No.12-cv-01581）
系爭專利：US6,460,050、US6,073,142、US5,987,610（此專利最後並未對趨勢主張）
US6,460,050（050案）
此專利於2010年轉移到Intellectual Ventures，揭露一種分散式內容識別系統（Distributed content identification system），其實是一種檔案內容分類的技術，經比對取得檔案的特徵，並建立檔案的識別符，當多個檔案作類似的動作，就產生依照檔案內容分類的目的。
主張請求項9, 16, 22（對兩個被告有些差異）如下，主要特徵就是取得file content identifiers、以數學方法建立內容ID、比對characteristic of identifiers，以及根據判斷指出檔案特徵。這幾項範圍分別界定資料庫建立、查詢與提供查詢結果等。
9. A method for identifying characteristics of data files, comprising:
receiving, on a processing system, file content identifiers for data files from a plurality of file content identifier generator agents, each agent provided on a source system and creating file content IDs using a mathematical algorithm, via a network;
determining, on the processing system, whether each received content identifier matches a characteristic of other identifiers; and
outputting, to at least one of the source systems responsive to a request from said source system, an indication of the characteristic of the data file based on said step of determining.
16. A method of filtering an email message, comprising:
receiving, on a second computer, a digital content identifier created using a mathematical algorithm unique to the message content from at least two of a plurality of first computers having digital content ID generator agents;
comparing, on the second computer, the digital content identifier to a characteristic database of digital content identifiers received from said plurality of first computers to determine whether the message has a characteristic; and
responding to a query from at least one of said plurality of computers to identify the existence or absence of said characteristic of the message based on said comparing.
22. A method for providing a service on the Internet, comprising:
collecting data on a processing system from a plurality of systems having a client agent generating digital content identifiers created using a mathematical algorithm for each of a plurality of files on the Internet to a server having a database;
characterizing the files on the server system based on said digital content identifiers received relative to other digital content identifiers collected in the database; and
transmitting a substance identifier from the server to the client agent indicating the presence or absence of a characteristic in the file.
US6,073,142（142案）揭露一種根據電子郵件內容自動遞送的技術（Automated post office based rule analysis of e-mail messages and other data objects for controlled distribution in network environments），大約就是電子郵件的企業應用，企業建立根據企業規則的資料庫，而自動決定電子郵件的遞送，比如延遲遞送，甚至是自動設定遞送對象。
主張請求項1, 21如下，分別界定電子郵件遞送的方法、裝置與相關過程：
1. A post office for receiving and redistributing e-mail messages on a computer network, the post office comprising:
a receipt mechanism that receives an e-mail message from a sender, the e-mail message having at least one specified recipient;
a database of business rules, each business rule specifying an action for controlling the delivery of an e-mail message as a function of an attribute of the e-mail message;
a rule engine coupled to receive an e-mail message from the receipt mechanism and coupled to the database to selectively apply the business rules to the e-mail message to determine from selected ones of the business rules a set of actions to be applied to the e-mail message; and
a distribution mechanism coupled to receive the set of actions from the rule engine and apply at least one action thereof to the e-mail message to control delivery of the e-mail message and which in response to the rule engine applying an action of deferring delivery of the e-mail message, the distribution engine automatically combines the e-mail message with a new distribution list specifying at least one destination post office for receiving the e-mail message for review by an administrator associated with the destination post office, and a rule history specifying the business rules that were determined to be applicable to the e-mail message by at least one rule engine, and automatically delivers the e-mail message to a first destination post office on the distribution list instead of a specified recipient of the e-mail message.
21. A process for deferring the delivery of selected e-mail messages, comprising:
storing a database of business rules, each business rule specifying an action for controlling the delivery of an e-mail message as a function of an attribute of the e-mail message;
receiving a plurality of e-mail messages at a first post office, each e-mail message having at least one specified recipient;
selecting at least one e-mail message from the plurality of e-mail messages by applying at least one business rule to the e-mail message;
delivering each non-selected e-mail message to its specified recipients; and
deferring the selected e-mail message by:
automatically combining the selected e-mail message with a new distribution list specifying at least one new destination post office for receiving the e-mail message for review by an administrator associated with the destination post office and a rule history specifying at least one business rule determined to be applicable to the e-mail message;
automatically delivering the selected e-mail message to a destination post office on the distribution list instead of a specified recipient of the e-mail message;
persistently storing the selected e-mail message in a storage area of the destination post office until the selected e-mail message is reviewed prior to any further delivery of the e-mail message to its specified recipients or to another destination post office on the distribution list.
US5,987,610（610案）揭露電腦病毒的篩選系統（Computer virus screening methods and systems），這就與防毒有密切相關，也就是檔案遞送過程會因為偵測到病毒而被暫停，相關主張請求項7+1如下：
1. A virus screening method comprising the steps of:
routing a call between a calling party and a called party of a telephone network;
receiving, within the telephone network, computer data from a first party selected from the group consisting of the calling party and the called party;
detecting, within the telephone network, a virus in the computer data; and
in response to detecting the virus, inhibiting communication of at least a portion of the computer data from the telephone network to a second party selected from the group consisting of the calling party and the called party.
7. The virus screening method of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining that virus screening is to be applied to the call based upon at least one of an identification code of the calling party and an identification code of the called party.針對以上系爭專利，被告一開始的策略就是主張不具專利性，特別是專利法101條，其中自然是引用最新的最告法院判決Alice，以及相關Mayo、Bilski等判例，認為系爭專利為沒有技術貢獻的抽象概念，非可專利標的。
對於可專利性的攻防採用的案例都可見於本部落格，也如過去分析，雖Bilski, Mayo, Alice等前例為電腦軟體相關專利的阻礙，但其中DDR Holdings也被認為是相關抽象概念專利的答辯機會，摘錄一些內容如下：
趨勢：
Intellectual Ventures：
引用DDR Holdings案例主要理由是證明系爭專利利用電腦技術的必要性，且能克服特定問題；使用電腦技術或網路產生的互動超越一般行為；解決特定網路相關的問題等。其目的就是證明採用電腦系統或網路的必要性，以及與傳統有顯著的差異，解決傳統不能解決的問題。
可參考：http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2014/12/ddr-holdings-v-hotelscom-fed-2014.html（商業方法可專利性？電腦軟體專利的生機 - DDR Holdings v. Hotels.com (Fed. 2014)案例討論）
法院即以最新的101判斷準則進行判斷，比如本部落格曾經報導的「USPTO可專利性教戰守則 - TWO-STEP TEST」（http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2014/12/uspto-two-step-test.html），其中討論到系爭專利所界定的步驟是不是一般人為步驟的改變而已，是否僅採用一般目的的電腦等，顯然這裡050案被認定是不具專利性的抽象概念，即便依附在電腦系統等硬體特徵。
...
法院認為050案、142案都是人為動作的電腦化而已，包括檔案分類與電子郵件分配等，但對於610案則認為，人為動作不能篩選病毒，因此仍有效。
結論：
結論同樣寫在本次決定的一開始。不過地院陪審團對趨勢與賽門鐵克的決定有不同的情況：
判決不太一樣，對賽門鐵克認定對610案（無效不成立）侵權成立，且須賠償1千7百萬美金；對趨勢則因原告撤銷610案的侵權主張而可能因此侵權不成立，因為另兩件為專利無效的初步判決。
後語：
根據系爭專利的內容，看來也不像是無法專利的技術，一個檔案分類，一個是電子郵件遞送的技術，看來都是十分有用以及具有硬體特徵的技術，所以爭議應該還會繼續！
講"告贏專利蟑螂"，也不算告贏，而是策略成功，且目前地院決定並非判決，對趨勢甚至並並未有決定，只是針對系爭專利無效的爭議告一段落，這也算勝訴就是了。不過將來原告上訴的可能性還是不小。
因為被告答辯朝專利有效性方面反擊，部分成功，使得侵權官司因為專利無效而暫停審理。其中針對專利無效的motion，其實還有一件並未成功（新聞僅提到成功無效的部分，但也非錯誤，因為610案並未對趨勢主張），但這可能也是本案可能還會繼續的理由之一。
判決文：
https://app.box.com/s/5z9c4eeprfc1i0tma7ktom6cb9pakghs
新聞來源：
http://www.bnext.com.tw/article/view/id/36095
趨勢自己的新聞：
http://www.trendmicro.tw/tw/about-us/newsroom/releases/articles/20150428074626.html
原始訴訟消息：
http://cdnet.stpi.narl.org.tw/techroom/pclass/2012/pclass_12_A340.htm
Ron
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