Federal Circuit Affirms York County Prison District Court Win Finding Smart Communications’ Mail Processing Patent Ineligible for Patenting

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox secured a victory on behalf of York County Prison at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in a case involving a patent-infringement suit filed by Smart Communications against York County Prison. On August 18, 2023, the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court decision holding that Smart Communications’ mail contraband-screening patent is ineligible for patenting because it merely uses conventional computing technology to accomplish a process for screening mail, which correctional facilities had been doing for over a century.

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox represented York County before the district court and on appeal. The appellate team included: Directors Michael D. Specht, Uma N. Everett, Ryan C. Richardson, and William H. Milliken, who presented oral argument; and Counsel Richard A. Crudo. The district court team included those same attorneys, as well as Director Lauren A. Watt and Associates Todd C. Thurheimer, Steven M. Pappas, Paige E. Cloud, and Brooke N. McLain. The appellate case is HLFIP Holding, Inc. v. York County et al., No. 22-1940 (Fed. Cir.), and the district court case is No. 1:20-cv-00186 (M.D. Pa.).