Plotagraph, Inc., et al. v. Lightricks, Ltd.

Inventors Troy Plota, Sascha Connelly and Plotagraph, Inc (Plotagraph) own and practice five patents that disclose applications allowing users to create the illusion of movement within a digital photograph or video. Through a series of specific claimed steps, the patents allow a user to automate pixel shifting in digital photos or videos. The pixel shifting cannot be accomplished manually or with pen and paper. The question presented is: Whether the claims at issue in the Plotagraph patents are patent-eligible under 35 U.S.C. § 101, as interpreted in Alice Corporation Pty v. CLS Bank International, 573 U.S. 208 (2014) in view of the claims directed to computer animation as allowed in McRO, Inc. v. Bandai Namco Games America, 837 F.3d 1299 (Fed. Cir. 2016).