Bridge cheating Detection Software Patents Deemed Ineligible by Georgia District Court
Atlanta, GA – A federal district court in Georgia has invalidated patents held by The EDGAR Association for software designed to detect cheating in online bridge games, finding the inventions ineligible under 35 U.S.C. § 101. The September 11, 2025 ruling in The EDGAR Association v. Hammond Software, Inc. (No. 1:23-cv-04985-TRJ) underscores the Federal Circuit’s continued strict scrutiny of software patents involving data analysis, even within specialized fields.
The case centered on whether the patents’ methods for identifying statistical anomalies indicative of cheating constituted patent-eligible subject matter. The court, mirroring precedent established in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International, conducted a two-part analysis. It first persistent the claims were directed to an abstract idea – using statistical analysis to detect cheating – and then found no “inventive concept” that would transform the abstract idea into a patent-eligible submission.
The court distinguished the patents from cases like Enfish, LLC v. Microsoft Corp., 822 F.3d 1327 (Fed. Cir. 2016), wich involved improvements to computer technology.Here,the court found the patents relied on generic computer components like “processors” and “computer-readable medium” and utilized well-known probability theories applied across various disciplines. the statistical methods employed drew upon commonly available data, such as player hands and game results.
Arguments that the software’s application to online bridge – where physical observation is unfeasible – or its complexity beyond manual calculation added inventiveness were rejected, citing FairWarning IP. The court reasoned that computer efficiency alone does not confer patent eligibility and that granting the patents would improperly monopolize statistical analysis for bridge cheating detection,hindering future innovation.
The ruling reinforces the Federal Circuit’s approach to § 101 challenges, suggesting such motions can be successfully brought at the pleadings stage, possibly avoiding costly discovery and claim construction proceedings. Patent practitioners are advised to emphasize specific technological improvements – such as novel hardware integrations or non-generic algorithms – when drafting applications in this area. The decision serves as a warning for developers of AI-driven analytics in esports and online gaming, highlighting the risk of invalidation for abstract mathematical models lacking a transformative inventive step.
