Popular Science Archive Is Online - All 137 Years!
The entire 137-year archive of Popular Science is available online! Thanks Google!
Links: Announcement, Search the PopSci Archives.
Mobile Patent Lawsuits… No End in Sight
The New York Times reports,
Although patent litigation is not new in the technology world, these suits, specifically around mobile, point to the drastically changing mobile landscape. Lawyers I spoke with explained that mobile technology was still in its infancy and these large computing companies were trying to stake their claim to the future of computing.
On Tuesday when I spoke with Eric Von Hippel, a professor of technological innovation at M.I.T.’s Sloan School of Management. He pointed out that patent lawsuits had turned particularly unpleasant lately as a result of companies that only buy and sell patents.
via: An Explosion of Mobile Patent Lawsuits - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com.
The complaints in Apple’s lawsuit against HTC
As reported yesterday, Apple is suing HTC for infringing on twenty iPhone related patents. HTC makes mobile phones and smartphones including Google’s Nexus One and phones sold by Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile (1, 2) running Google’s Android operating system.
Below are the complaints filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware and with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC).
Apple Sues HTC - maker of Google Nexus - for Patent Infringement
“We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”
via Apple Sues HTC for Patent Infringement - Barrons.com.
Prior Art and Research: Social Science Research Network
Another site to search prior art and scholarly articles:
Social Science Research Network SSRN Home Page.
Patent Litigation Trends - It Pays to be a Patent Troll
A recent PriceWaterhouseCoopers study suggests that nonpracticing entities (NPE), more commonly referred to as patent trolls, are thriving.
The largest award went to Dr. Bruce Saffran who, in 2008, was awarded nearly $432 million in damages (and, not reported in the study, another $69 million in pre-judgment interest awarded by the judge after the trial). A jury found that Boston Scientific Corporation infringed on his drug-eluting stent system patent.
Rambus, a company that at one time actually sold computer memory but now proudly bills itself as “one of the world’s premier technology licensing companies,” was recently awarded $397 million plus future royalties in a final judgment against Hynix Semiconductor. Not to be stopped, Rambus is now pursuing damages against NVIDIA, a maker of computer graphics chips. A favorable decision by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) found three of five asserted Rambus patents to be valid, enforceable, and infringed by NVIDIA.
Some other highlights of the study include:
• Damages awards for NPEs have averaged more than double those for practicing entities since 1995.
• Annual median damages award has ranged from $2.2 to $10.6 million, with no discernible trend since 1995.
$2.322 billion to USPTO for 2011
* Up 23 percent from 2010’s expected budget.
* Proposal to increase statutory patent fees by 15 percent.
* USPTO hoping to reduce average of 34.6 months to approve or reject a patent application.
links: FY2010 President’s Budget Request, USPTO Budget, Plans, and Reports.
(via U.S. patent office gets boost in Obama budget | Reuters)
PTO Rescinds Controversial Patent Rules
The claim and continuation rules that were supposed to go into effect on November 1, 2007 are dying a slow death… thankfully.
via Law.com - PTO Rescinds Controversial Patent Rules.
PDF Creators Compatible with EFS-Web
EFS-Web is the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO’s) web-based patent application and document submission system. I have been filing all my documents electronically since the USPTO started beta testing electronic filing (and I am shocked to see that some law firms still do not use electronic filing).
All documents filed via EFS-Web must be pdfs with embedded fonts, or image-based. This requires a pdf writer. According to the USPTO, versions of commercial PDF Writer software that work with EFS-Web include: More »
Patent Rejections at Nearly 60%
After consistently rejecting applications at a rate of about 35% since 1975, the Patent Office — faced with a growing backlog — underwent a convulsive shift around 2004 and now turns down well over half. In the quarter that ended June 30, it denied more than 59%.
via jsonline.com “Patent rejections soar as pressure on agency rises“.
How to digitize your life (or at least have a paperless office)
Over the last several years many people have asked me how to remove paper from their lives. Here are some tips on how to empty your file cabinets and get rid of that pile of mail.
Scanner + OCR = pdf
Get a duplex document scanner with at least a 25 sheet feeder and good OCR software. I use a Fujitsu Scansnap that is a few years old and it does a nice job. For OCR I use ABBYY FineReader that was bundled with the scanner. Acceptable entry-level scanners start at around $300, but it is worth spending more for the next level up. The more expensive models give you greater scanning speed with less misfeeds and paper jams. This is especially important if you want to scan different types and thicknesses of paper at the same time, such as bills, credit card receipts, and business cards. If you really want to go all out, buy a networked scanner.
If it doesn’t come bundled with your scanner, buy Adobe Acrobat Standard or Pro (unfortunately, bloated and expensive). More »
Patenting Methods of Determining the Value of Patents?
So, will we see lawsuits for infringement, not of the patents that are sold, but for determining how much to sell them for?
7,493,262 Method for valuing intellectual property
7,386,460 System and method for developing and implementing intellectual property marketing
7,346,545 Method and system for payment of intellectual property royalties by interposed sponsor on behalf of consumer over a telecommunications network
7,346,518 System and method for determining the marketability of intellectual property assets
7,315,836 Method for obtaining and allocating investment income based on the capitalization of intellectual property
7,292,994 System and method for establishing value and financing of intellectual property
7,272,572 Method and system for facilitating the transfer of intellectual property
7,269,566 Method for obtaining and allocating investment income based on the capitalization of intellectual property
7,228,288 Method of repeatedly securitizing intellectual property assets and facilitating investments therein
7,216,100 Method for obtaining and allocating investment income based on the capitalization of intellectual property
7,188,069 Method for valuing intellectual property
6,959,280 Method of protecting against a change in value of intellectual property, and product providing such protection
6,330,547 Method and apparatus for establishing and enhancing the creditworthiness of intellectual property
6,018,714 Method of protecting against a change in value of intellectual property, and product providing such protection
via Ip Prospective “Proof of a Burgeoning Market: Patenting IP Valuation Methods | IP P®OSPE©TIVE“; 12:01 Tuesday “Patenting the Business of Patents“.
Nvidia Scores Win Against Rambus in Patent Fight
Rambus replied that the game is hardly over.
via eWeek.com Nvidia Scores Win Against Rambus in Patent Fight.
May 26, 1981: Programmer-Attorney Wins First U.S. Software Patent
May 26, 1981: Programmer-Attorney Wins First U.S. Software Patent
via May 26, 1981: Programmer-Attorney Wins First U.S. Software Patent | This Day In Tech | Wired.com.
Link: U.S. Patent No. 4,270,182.
Richard Feynman - Ode on a Flower
Richard Feynman was one of the great physicists of the 20th century, and an incredible teacher. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics.
I learned about Feynman in the 1980s when I was studying physics, and spent many a night watching films of his famous lectures at Caltech. To this day, he has inspired me to persevere in my love for science and math, while appreciating that science and math do not derogate the arts and humanities. To the contrary, math and science only add to the beauty, mystery, and appreciation of the world - art and science are complementary.
This short video says it all: YouTube - Richard Feynman - Ode on a Flower.
Law.com - Federal Circuit Sides With PTO in Dispute Over Rules
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled Friday in a split decision that the Patent and Trademark Office did not overstep its authority in adopting a set of new rules that some intellectual property lawyers say fundamentally alter patent practice and threaten innovation.
via Law.com - Federal Circuit Sides With PTO in Dispute Over Rules.
Divisional Applications, Europe, and the Paris Convention
EPC Rule 36:
(1) The applicant may file a divisional application relating to any pending earlier European patent application.
(2) A divisional application shall be in the language of the proceedings for the earlier application and shall be filed with the European Patent Office in Munich, The Hague or Berlin.
Bilski cited, again, in BPAI rejection
Method claim 1 does not recite any machine or apparatus or call for transforming an article into a different state or thing. A domain name is simply a series of characters representing the address of a resource, such as a server, on the World Wide Web.
Links: Ex parte Atkin.
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Recent Posts
- Popular Science Archive Is Online - All 137 Years!
- Mobile Patent Lawsuits… No End in Sight
- The complaints in Apple’s lawsuit against HTC
- Apple Sues HTC - maker of Google Nexus - for Patent Infringement
- Prior Art and Research: Social Science Research Network
- Patent Litigation Trends - It Pays to be a Patent Troll