MoneyGram's patent appeal successful

MoneyGram International said it won an appeal that negates a $16.5 million patent infringement verdict initially awarded to The Western Union Co. According to MoneyGram, the ruling overturned a 2009 judgment won by Western Union that ruled certain MoneyGram processes relating to how mobile phone-based transactions were sent without the use of "written send forms" infringed on Western Union's patents.

The ruling made by an appellate court at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Court found that on the "grounds of obviousness" that Western Union's claims in its patent infringement lawsuit were invalid, MoneyGram said.

The part of MoneyGram's mobile money transfer process under question apparently eliminates paperwork and reduces customer service desk wait time by allowing phone users to complete transactions by phone in the user's native language.

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