Roman War Analogy Unravels Patent Used Against Audi, Tech Firms

A federal court in Michigan invalidated a vehicle-tracking patent asserted against more than 30 tech and car companies, saying it captured a technology that dates back to the Roman Empire.

A judge in US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan granted Audi of America Inc.'s motion to dismiss an infringement suit filed in April by WirelessWerx IP LLC. Judge F. Kay Behm likened the patent owner’s geolocation technology to centuries old combat strategy based on enemy troop movements, an age-old tactic that’s too abstract to be patented.

“Specifically, in the leadup to the Roman Civil War, the Roman ...