Federal Circuit Split on Controversial Natural Law Patent Ruling

The Federal Circuit evenly split on the application of the Patent Act’s prohibition against patenting natural processes, according to a modified precedential opinion and denial of full court review published Friday.

Both the opinion and denial were subject to strong dissents that said the decision was “result-oriented judicial activism” that will “lead to insanity” and could “threaten most every invention for which a patent has ever been granted.”

By a six-to-six vote, the court denied American Axle & Manufacturing Inc.'s motion for en banc review of the court’s October ruling, which invalidated its patent covering a method for manufacturing ...