Judge Cuts Two Abstract Patents Loose From IBM, Zillow Dispute

Two IBM Corp. patents on map-making technology cover abstract ideas and are invalid, a Washington state federal judge said in a win for Zillow Inc.

Judge Thomas Zilly in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington ruled that IBM’s U.S. Patent No. 7,187,389 is directed to nothing more than the abstract idea of categorizing and displaying information.

Similarly, Zilly said U.S. Patent No. 9,158,789 relates to the idea of updating a map and a list of items on the map—something people have long done. All the patent adds, Zilly said, is displaying the map and list on ...