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Universal Secure Registry LLC v. Apple Inc., et al.

Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, No. 2020-2044 · judgment August 26, 2021


Certiorari denied · May 16, 2022
Pre-decision estimate: 10% cert probability (95% interval 6%–16%)

Before the decision, about 2.5× the 4.1% base rate. The model weighted this up for counsel with five or more prior petitions here, a circuit split argued in the petition, and a dissent in the court below (flagged in the petition), and down for a business respondent.

Question presented

Section 101 of the Patent Act provides that “any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof,” is eligible for a patent. 35 U.S.C. § 101. The question presented is: Does patent eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101 require “specificity,” “unexpected results” and “unconventionality,” in conflict with the Patent Act and this Court’s decision in Alice Corp. Pty. Ltd. v. CLS Bank International, 573 U.S. 208 (2014)?

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Kathleen Marie Sullivan
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP

For respondent
Steffen Nathanael Johnson
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Amicus briefs
2 cert-stage

Proceedings

  1. May 16 2022
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Apr 20 2022
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/12/2022.
  3. Apr 15 2022
    Reply of petitioner Universal Secure Registry LLC filed.
  4. Apr 01 2022
    Brief of respondents Apple Inc., et al. in opposition filed.
  5. Mar 02 2022
    Brief amicus curiae of Intertrust Technologies Corporation filed.
  6. Mar 02 2022
    Brief amicus curiae of Paul R. Michel filed.
  7. Feb 18 2022
    Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including April 1, 2022.
  8. Feb 17 2022
    Motion to extend the time to file a response from March 2, 2022 to April 1, 2022, submitted to The Clerk.
  9. Jan 27 2022
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due March 2, 2022)