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United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office Decisions
You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office Decisions >> Apputharai Chandrakumar and Kulanathan Kularajan (Patent) [2007] UKIntelP o35907 (7 December 2007)
URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKIntelP/2007/o35907.html
Cite as: [2007] UKIntelP o35907

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Apputharai Chandrakumar and Kulanathan Kularajan [2007] UKIntelP o35907 (7 December 2007)

For the whole decision click here: o35907

Patent decision

BL number
O/359/07
Concerning rights in
GB 0228165.7
Hearing Officer
Mr R C Kennell
Decision date
7 December 2007
Person(s) or Company(s) involved
Apputharai Chandrakumar and Kulanathan Kularajan
Provisions discussed
PA 1977 Section 1(2)
Keywords
Excluded fields (refused)
Related Decisions
None

Summary

The invention computerised the playing of “chit fund” games (traditional in SE Asia, in which a specified number of subscribers contribute to a fund on a number of subscription dates and then make bids for the total fund) to make them more flexible and attractive, eg for business purposes. Amongst other things, computerisation allowed a creditworthiness check on subscribers to be made at a remote server. Applying the test in Aerotel [2006] EWCA Civ 1371 and refusing the application, the hearing officer held that the contribution was not a new combination of hardware, but was a new way of playing a game relying on the programming of standard computer hardware items. Nothing in the contribution was not excluded as a computer program, a method of playing a game or a business method.


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URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKIntelP/2007/o35907.html