SAP AG won a U.S. patent office ruling that could help it avoid paying a $345 million jury verdict over a way to customize pricing, in the first challenge under a new rule for reconsidering business methods patents.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said June 11 that the patent claims owned by closely held Versata Software Inc. should be canceled because they seek to cover a mental process rather than an actual invention. In May, an appeals court upheld the infringement verdict and damage award while the validity of the patent wasn’t an issue.
