In a precedential decision addressing the intersection of machine learning and patent law, the Federal Circuit affirmed the district court’s dismissal of Recentive Analytics, Inc.’s patent infringement claims against Fox Corp. and its affiliates. The court held that Recentive’s patents merely applied generic machine learning techniques to the fields of event scheduling and network map creation, and thus were directed to abstract ideas that lacked an inventive concept sufficient to satisfy the requirements of 35 U.S.C. § 101. This decision underscores the challenges of securing patent protection for new applications of established machine learning techniques in various fields.

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