Menashe Business Mercantile Ltd. & Anor v William Hill Organization Ltd. [2002] EWCA Civ 1702 was a patent case regarding Internet usage.
The case addressed a European patent covering the United Kingdom for an invention referred to as "Interactive, computerized gaming system with remote control".
William Hill's defence argued that it did not infringe the patent because the server on which it operated the system was located outside of the UK, in Antigua or Curaçao.
The Court's ruling took a broad interpretation, concentrating on the spirit and intention of patent protection and not confining itself to the linguistic construction of the law which developed before the advent of the Internet.
Lord Justice Aldous heard the appeal and while he maintained the result of the judgment of the Patents Court, the reasoning was very different and was based upon where the invention was being "used".