Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC v. Assistant Controller of Patents

This case involves an appeal filed by Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC against an order rejecting their patent application for a method and system to associate command services with multiple active components on a webpage. The patent office had rejected the application citing lack of inventive step and non-patentability as a computer program “per se”. The Court found that the claimed invention, despite relating to a computer program, offers a technical solution that improves the computer system's functionality and effectiveness, thus qualifying for patentability under Section 3(k) read along with recent Indian jurisprudence. The Court also found that the invention possessed an inventive step and was not obvious based on the prior art presented. Result: The appeal is allowed, setting aside the impugned rejection order, and the claimed invention will proceed to grant based on the amended claims.