The case was brought against Prodigy Communications, the first commercial ISP in the US. BT alleged that Prodigy infringed its so-called Sargent patent which covers a method that allows data stored on a central computer to be accessed by multiple users, located in remote terminals, via a telecommunications network.
The original application for the Sargent patent was filed in 1976. Many successor applications were submitted until the Sargent patent was granted in the US in 1989.
On 22nd August, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York rejected the complaint without a trial. If successful, the case could have opened the door to enormous licensing revenues for BT.