Patent decision

BL number

O/436/10

Concerning rights in

GB 0423100.7

Hearing Officer

Mr H Jones

Decision date

21 December 2010

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

Sony United Kingdom Limited

Provisions discussed

PA 1977 section 1(2)

Keywords

Excluded fields (refused)

Related Decisions

None

Summary

The application relates to a new search functionality in peer-to-peer networks by using a new data structure for storing content files and their associated description information (metadata). The invention is described as moving away from the prior art approach of storing descriptive information alongside each individual content file or by having descriptive information forming part of the individual content file itself. Instead, the invention requires that content files are stored in folders containing an arbitrary number of associated files and for description information to be stored as a separate description file within the same content folder. This arrangement of data allows for multiple related content files to be stored as a single object, i.e. in the same content folder, together with a single description file that is separate from each of the content files. The Hearing Offices addressed the issue of whether the invention relates to a computer program as such by answering the question of whether it reveals a technical contribution to the art. In the light of guidance provided by the UK Courts and by the EPO Boards of Appeal, the Hearing Officer concluded that no technical contribution is made and that the application should be refused.