Skip to main content

The Controller of Patents rejects an application by Yahoo for a method of scheduling and displaying an online presence status of a user of an instant messaging application.

Yahoo’s method of scheduling and displaying an online presence status of a user of an instant messaging (IM) application under Section 3(k) and 3(n) of the Patents Act was denied by the Controller of Patents.

The reasons offered were: the steps of setting, determining, displaying were held to be nothing but computer algorithmic steps for giving a solution to the detailed problem related to scheduling an displaying an online presence status of a user of an instant messaging application; algorithm related claims are even wider than the computer programmes claimed by themselves; the hardware components were a general purpose computer.

Authored by Stuti Dhyani.

This article was published on Patents Rewind.

Most Recent

News & Insights

VIEW ALL
News & Updates, Thought Leadership
•
Oct 02, 2026

A traditional craft can travel far beyond the place that gave it its name. The harder question is whether its name, reputation and identity can travel

Who Owns a Tradition: Understanding Geographical Indications Through India’s Artisan Stories
News & Updates, Thought Leadership
•
Sep 29, 2026

A person’s identity was once understood as something inseparable from the person. In the digital economy, it can also become an asset: a name that

Right to Publicity in India: From Celebrity Image to AI-Generated Identity
News & Updates, Thought Leadership
•
Sep 25, 2026

India’s startup ecosystem is becoming increasingly innovation-led, and the country’s intellectual property numbers offer an interesting glimpse into

India’s IP Numbers Tell a Bigger Story  About Startup Founders in India
News & Updates, Thought Leadership
•
Sep 21, 2026

First published by Asialaw. By: Lakshmidevi Somanath The law currently provides creators exclusive rights over their creation for a limited time, which

From Innovation Incentives to Technology Diffusion: Protecting IP Created by Agentic AI