Qualcomm Fails To Get Features Patented In India

An application filed by Qualcomm for patenting features is rejected by the patent office of India.

Qualcomm has suffered from a setback in the South Asian region. The American chipmaker, which markets and designs wireless telecom products across the globe, has not been able to get an Indian patent for an invention related to a technology used for the distribution of personalized electronic coupons through servers to mobile products.

The patent office of India stated the company did not take any technological measure for the implementation of the inventive features. Rejecting the application for patent, assistant controller of patents and designs (Mumbai), Yogesh V Bajaj, stated the technological component utilized in the accused invention is a computer networking system, which has been implemented by standard computation capabilities inside a mobile communications network.

In 2009, California based company filed the application for patent and a hearing was held on November 9, last year. The objections were raised that the features cannot be patented because of its algorithm nature and business method. The company responded to them by making an argument that the invention was a technology subject matter that can be implemented, which provides solutions for solving technical problems.

The patent document filed by the company has revealed that it made personalized coupon based on the details provided by a mobile request. It can be personalized based on the input of the generic e-coupon identifier contained in the request of mobile device, inputs regarding the mobile product and details regarding the mobile’s owner.

Qualcomm has also filed that the personalization of the coupon in such a manner is offering a number of effects of technology; the foremost has been equipped with the ability to offer such coupons to individual users in formats compatible or customized with the mobile devices of each user.

The other important factor is the capability to personalize the coupons to reflect the requesting mobile product’s security. Referring to the recently issued guidelines of the Indian Patent office on inventions pertaining to computers, which were held in a subsequent manner, the company made an argument that when the claims are unrelated to business methodologies, they are considered as a subject matter that could be patented.

Qualcomm informed that the subject matter, which the invention has claimed, is a substance relating to a technological subject matter as well as not a subject matter excluded according to Indian patent Act’s Section 3(K).

According to Qualcomm, it has used all well-known technologies in the product and no issues persist for objections.