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ARTICLE · 20 SEPTEMBER 2025

Aristocrat Decision Changes Patent Eligibility Of Computer-implemented Inventions

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If your innovations are in the field of computer-implemented inventions, Australian patent law can be a grey area.

AustraliaIntellectual Property
Andrew Rankine
Andrew Rankine
Lucy Hartland
Lucy Hartland
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Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Patents [2025] FCAFC 131

Key takeaways

  • Australia's Full Federal Court has given judgment on the latest in a series of appeals by Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Ltd (Aristocrat) concerning the patent-eligibility of computer-implemented inventions (CII) under Australian law.
  • The patents at issue in this case relate to an electronic gaming machine (EGM) characterised by the ability to trigger a "feature game" in which prizes are allocated by reference to "configurable symbols" displayed on a player interface.
  • In August 2022, Australia's High Court divided evenly on the question of whether Aristocrat's broadest claim was directed to patent-eligible subject matter. That split decision established no binding precedent.

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