Virginia Innovation Sciences, Inc. v. Amazon.com, Inc.

Filing 57

MEMORANDUM OPINION. Signed by District Judge Liam O'Grady on 1/5/2016. (awac)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA
Alexandria Division

VIRGINIA INNOVATION SCIENCES
INC.,

Civil No. l:16-cv-00861

Plaintiff,

Hon. Liam O'Grady

V.

AMAZON.COM, INC.,
Defendant.

memorandum optnton

PlaintiffVirginia Innovation Sciences, Inc. ("VIS") owns the rights to afamily ofpatents
that cover amethod, system, and apparatus for transferring video signals from anetwork to a

mobile device and then converting those signals in amanner that allows them to be reproduced
on an "alternative display terminal" {e.g., atelevision). Alleging infringement ofthese patents.
Plaintiffbrought suit against Defendant Amazon.com, Inc. ("Amazon") for marketing and
selling, among other things, its Amazon Fire TV and Fire Stick devices, smarfphnne. mobile
phone, and tablet products. Amazon has moved to dismiss the claims related to eight ofthe ten
patents at issue in this case. (Dkt. No. 21). The court heard oral argument on October 14,2016.

For the reasons that follow, the Court finds that VIS's patents are not directed to patent-eligible
subject matter under 35 U.S.C. §101, and it therefore GRANTS Amazon's motion to dismiss.
I. BACKGROUND

VIS owns all rights and title to, and interest in, U.S. Patent No. 7,899,492, entitled
Methods, Systems, and Apparatus for Displaying the Multimedia Information from Wireless