Patent 6073142
Litigation summary
Past and pending lawsuits — plaintiffs, defendants, jurisdictions, outcomes, and notable rulings.
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No PTAB proceedings on file. This patent has not been challenged through Inter Partes Review, Post-Grant Review, or Covered Business Method review at the USPTO. The absence is itself a signal — well-asserted patents eventually attract IPRs.
Cases on file (3)
Group view →Specific litigation cases in our database that name US patent 6073142. The free-form analysis below may also discuss cases beyond this list.
- Intellectual Ventures I LLC v. Canon Inc. et al.filed Dec 4, 20121:12-cv-01581U.S. District Court for the District of DelawareDismissed
Defendants: Canon Inc., Canon U.S.A., Inc., FedEx Corporation, and 1 other
- Intellectual Ventures I LLC v. Symantec Corporation et al.filed Dec 9, 20101:10-cv-01067U.S. District Court for the District of DelawareAppealed
Defendants: Symantec Corporation and Trend Micro Inc.
- 2015-1769, 2015-1770, 2015-1771U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuitterminated Sep 30, 2016Affirmed
Defendants: Symantec Corp.
Litigation summary
Past and pending lawsuits — plaintiffs, defendants, jurisdictions, outcomes, and notable rulings.
Known Litigation
As of May 11, 2026, U.S. Patent No. 6,073,142 has been involved in significant litigation. The patent was frequently asserted by prior assignee Intellectual Ventures I LLC. The most notable cases are listed below.
District Court Cases
Case 1: Intellectual Ventures I LLC v. Symantec Corp. et al.
- Plaintiff: Intellectual Ventures I LLC
- Defendants: Symantec Corporation, Trend Micro Inc.
- Jurisdiction: U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware
- Case Number: 1:10-cv-01067
- Filing Date: December 9, 2010
- Outcome/Status: The district court found the asserted claims of U.S. Patent No. 6,073,142 to be ineligible under 35 U.S.C. § 101. This decision was later appealed.
Case 2: Intellectual Ventures I LLC v. Canon Inc. et al.
- Plaintiff: Intellectual Ventures I LLC
- Defendants: Canon Inc., Canon U.S.A., Inc., FedEx Corporation, FedEx Corporate Services, Inc., and others.
- Jurisdiction: U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware
- Case Number: 1:12-cv-01581
- Filing Date: December 4, 2012
- Outcome/Status: This case was part of a larger multi-defendant litigation campaign by Intellectual Ventures. The claims against most defendants were eventually dismissed, often following settlements or as a result of other rulings, such as the § 101 invalidity finding in the Symantec case.
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) Cases
The District Court's decision in the Symantec case was appealed, leading to a significant ruling from the Federal Circuit.
- Case: Intellectual Ventures I LLC v. Symantec Corp.
- Appealing Party (Plaintiff): Intellectual Ventures I LLC
- Responding Party (Defendant): Symantec Corp.
- Jurisdiction: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- Case Numbers: 2015-1769, 2015-1770, 2015-1771
- Date of Decision: September 30, 2016
- Outcome/Status: The Federal Circuit affirmed the district court's decision, holding that the asserted claims of U.S. Patent No. 6,073,142 were invalid because they were directed to the abstract idea of "filtering email" without adding an inventive concept. The court found that the patent described using generic computers to perform generic computer functions. This decision was a key case in the application of the Alice/Mayo framework for determining patent eligibility.
Due to the definitive invalidation of the asserted claims by the Federal Circuit, litigation involving this patent has ceased. No new cases have been identified since this ruling.
Generated 5/11/2026, 12:15:42 AM