FEderal circuit affirms invalidity of method claims

Judges Taranto and Hughes affirmed a district court's decision holding the invalidity of asserted claims as patent ineligible under Section 101.  Using the Supreme Court's Alice Corp. approach, the panel found the claims directed to creating familiar commercial arrangements by use of computers and networks as invalid.  According to the court, the asserted claims were directed to an abstract idea of creating a contractual relationship ("transaction performance guaranty") and the invocation of computers added no inventive concept.  The full text of the Court's decision is available here.