Snap, Federal Circuit Agree: Photo Filters Aren’t Patentable (1)

Snap Inc. convinced a Federal Circuit panel Wednesday that three patents it was accused of infringing with its lens and filter features aren’t eligible for patent protection.

A California federal court didn’t err when it invalidated Sanderling Management Ltd.'s patents and deprived it of a chance to update its lawsuit, Judge Leonard P. Stark wrote in the precedential decision.

“No amendment to a complaint can alter what a patent itself states,” he said.

Sanderling sued Snap in August 2020, alleging that some of the app’s features violate its US Patent Nos. 9,355,412; 9,639,866; and 10,108,986, which cover ...