18:55 • 12 Oct 2008
Patents Articles
USPTO strengthens global patent ties
Aiming to raise efficiency and ease backlogs in the global patent space, the USPTO has struck a landmark agreement with IP Australia (IPAU). In the arrangement, IPAU will act as an international search authority (ISA) for USPTO applications filed und...Carbon trading drives 'green' patents surge
Global interest in clean energy solutions from carbon funds and technology giants is stimulating a surge in 'green' patents, according to a new study. The report, Carbon Trading: Patently Set for Growth, indicates a strong link between disbursements ...Urgent call to ease patent backlogs
Alison Brimelow has warned that national patent offices must avert 'global patent warming' by working closer together to ease backlogs. The European Patent Office (EPO) president was speaking at the 41st World Intellectual Property Congress, held in ...WIPO SME forum reveals global backing for patents
On 10 September, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) began its Sixth Annual Forum on Intellectual Property and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises – and IP Review Online was there to bring you early coverage. A crammed programme ...- Sharing knowledge and technology is one major way that business can help to protect the environment, says George Weyerhaeuser. He explains why IBM and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development joined forces to establish the Eco-Patent Co...
- What will be the effect of a Barack Obama or John McCain presidency on the US patent regime? Very little, regrets Greg Aharonian of patnews. He explains why With all eyes on the American presidential candidates as they tour the country in search o...
US patent case clarifies source debate
A fascinating patent infringement case between two software developers has bolstered the status of IP used under open-source deals. The importance of the case may give the impression that it grew from a dispute over a major piece of freeware designed...Licenses settle wireless tech suit
An infringement dispute over wireless technologies between Wi-LAN and Research in Motion (RIM) has ended with the parties striking a license deal. The firms announced their agreement on 11 August in a statement, which said: 'RIM has obtained a licens...WIPO report shows rise in global filing
Global patent filing is continuing to rise, according to latest findings from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). Based on 2006 figures, its new World Patent Report shows a marked growth in filings through the Patent Cooperation Trea...Nokia/Qualcomm patent case ends in 15-year pact
Tech giants Nokia and Qualcomm have overcome a long-running dispute over a range of communications standards by sealing a 15-year agreement on licensing and royalties. The move settles all outstanding litigation between the firms, and ends months of ...Business methods focus of Peer-to-Patent expansion
New York Law School and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) have announced that their Peer-to-Patent project is to expand, as a result of its successful first year, for at least another 12 months. This second phase will invite the o...Lords make landmark ruling on 'obvious' question
On Wednesday 9 July, the House of Lords reached a landmark verdict on the long-running Conor v Angiotech case involving a patent for a drug-coated medical stent. Overturning rejections of Angiotech's patent by the Patents Court in 2006 and the Court ...'Patentbook' sums up first year's activity
Peer-to-patent, the experimental networking website for open discourse on innovation, has reported the major findings of its first year in operation. The site reveals that information from its peer users has had a demonstrable effect on official USPT...Parties settle in major pharma patent suit
Pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Ranbaxy have reached an agreement over the Lipitor cholesterol drug – subject of a long-running patent dispute between the firms. Under the terms of the deal, Ranbaxy will be licensed to sell a generic version o...Information rules at PATLIB2008
This year's PATLIB conference focused on preparing the European Patent Library Network for future challenges, with commitments to public information high on the agenda. Held in Warsaw from 28-30 May, PATLIB2008 examined the changing nature of patent ...- After nearly 30 years of discussion and countless failed attempts, the Slovenian government has once again raised the spectre of the community patent. But what would a pan-EU patent mean to businesses and can it really become a reality? The subjec...
- Last April, the US Supreme Court faced a patent infringement suit that turned on whether the patent was invalid under an obviousness test. CPA’s IP manager Ken Sheets explains the importance of this decision under US law After much hype amon...
- Ensuring a firm’s patents are protected in key territories can be essential to its success; however, the translation costs of global protection are taking their toll. Justin Simpson assesses how the London Agreement could help bolster competiti...
- With the Patent Reform Act of 2007 through the US House of Representatives and before the Senate, its passage should now be plain sailing – so why the delay? asks PatNews’s Greg Aharonian. On 28 September 2007, the US House of Represen...
IP on the Smallest Small Scale
Nanotechnology, or manipulation at the molecular or ‘nano’ scale, is such a new phenomenon that science is still exploring its potential. as a result, the IP industry is also playing catch-up. To the uninitiated, the emerging science o...Patent Office To Get Funding Boost Under Bush's Budget Proposal
President Bush's budget proposal for 2009 could see an additional $159 million, or equivalent to an 8% budget increase being handed to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This increase would set the USPTO’s budget at $2.07...TiVo Wins $94 million DVR Patent Lawsuit
Shares in Tivo Inc rocketed almost 30% after the home entertainment manufacturer won a patent infringement case against Dish Network. The case came about when Dish Network, a major US satellite TV provider, requested the USPTO to re-examine a TiVo...Gemstar-TV Guide sues Virgin Media over patent infringement
Gemstar-TV Guide International, a Los Angeles based company part owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, has begun legal proceedings in the British High Court against Virgin Media for an alleged infringement regarding electronic program guides. ...EU in Patent Dispute with Taiwan over Illegal Exports
The European Union has said that a patent licence dispute with Taiwan may need to be passed to the World Trade Organisation to be resolved. The argument is that Taiwan issued a compulsory licence allowing Gigastorage, a Taiwanese CD manufacturer, ...USPTO and JPO implement full-time patent prosecution highway
The USPTO and the JPO for almost 18 months have worked together on a patent prosecution highway (PPH), which has proven very effective for both countries and has now gone into full-time operation. Jon Dudas, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intelle...- The message is clear. Patent backlog is one of the biggest issues affecting the IP industry today. Offices around the world are under pressure to find more effective and efficient methods to process patent applications. We outline their solutions ...
IBM requests bans on Asus imports over patent complaint
IBM has asked the US government to ban certain imports from Asustek, a Taiwanese PC manufacturer, stating that the computers they produce infringes on three of their patents. Ari Fishkind, an IBM spokesman, said "They use the patented technol...One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) sued for patent infringement
The OLPC foundation originally hoped to build and sell laptops to schools at around $100 per unit. Now the price stands just shy of $200 each (for an order of 10,000) and production of these child-sized laptops went into mass production last month. ...SanDisk Sues 25 Companies for Patent Infringement
SanDisk has announced the filing of three patent infringement actions against 25 companies that manufacture, sell and import USB flash drives, CompactFlash cards, multimedia cards, MP3/media players and/or other removable flash storage products. T...AT&T is latest to sue Vonage over patents
The Internet telephone company Vonage, has disclosed that it was the target of another patent lawsuit from a telephone company, in this case AT&T. AT&T is now the third major telephone company to sue Vonage, which until recently was a mark...Amazon in patent dispute over 1-click shopping
A panel from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has rejected most of Amazon’s 1-click online purchasing system patent claims because evidence suggests that another patent predates this one. The panel reversed an earlier decision appr...- The much-anticipated Patent Reform Act of 2007 got its first airing in the House of Representatives and the Senate in April. Jones Day partner Robert Lindefjeld and associate Cecilia Dickson explain why the US patent system will undergo its most subs...
- TomTom, the Netherlands-based navigation solutions supplier, sold its 10 millionth product in May 2007, making it one of the major players in a hugely competitive sector. Head of IP Peter Spours and head of IP creation Jacob Eisenberg explain to Ben ...
- Small or medium enterprises walk a tightrope between acquisition and extinction. With IP competence often the deciding factor, a strong licensing plan could be the key to future success, as Morgan Reed, executive director of lobby group, Association ...
- Patent rights provide the support and the dynamism behind a developing currency of knowledge and information, but changes to legislation and practice are putting ever more onus on the inventor to provide the research and support behind each innovatio...
Is website ad-blocking a subject for litigation?
As more web browser users begin to adopt ad-blocking software, legal experts are led to wonder when will we see the first ad-blocking lawsuit? There has been a history of heading to the courts to stop products that allow the user to skip or block ...HD DVD patent holders begin cross licence meetings
MPEG LA announced that the first meeting of essential HD DVD patent owners, currently consisting of 16 companies, was held in Los Angeles at the end of September. The purpose of the meeting was to create a joint license providing fair, reasonable,...US calls for head of WIPO to answer allegations or resign
The United States has called for the head of the WIPO to publicly answer allegations of dishonest conduct or to see him resign. The WIPO Secretariat rejected charges by diplomats regarding an official report produced, that Mr Idris misled the agen...U.S. Patent Law Changes analysis at Licensing Executives Society Meeting
Event to be Held in Vancouver October 14 - 18, 2007 With major legal and regulatory changes in U.S. patent law, the question on everyone’s lips is 'what implications will this have for Canadian and U.S. businesses'? If you are in Vancouve...European Central Bank in bank note patent infringement
Document Security Systems (DSS), a US security tech company has suffered a setback in its IP infringement case against the European Central Bank (ECB). The First Instance of the European Court of Justice (CFI) declined to accept jurisdiction in the c...USPTO and Swedish PRV working together to improve service
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Swedish Patent and Registration Office (PRV) have announced a pilot project testing the feasibility of the USPTO allowing the PRV to process Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications on its behalf...AT&T ordered to pay $156 million in patent case
AT&T Inc said on Monday that it has been order to pay $156 million after losing a patent infringement dispute brought on by TGIP Inc. McKool Smith P.C. the Dallas based law firm representing TGIP, said that the total financial award could treble ...Microsoft patents 'Stealthy Audio Watermarking'
Microsoft has been granted a patent for a Digital Rights Management (DRM) free watermarking technique, which could be used to discourage piracy without affecting the ability to play the music. The patent, titled "Stealthy Audio Watermarking...White House keeps heat on Bill clause
HR 1908 – also known as the US Patent Reform Bill – passed a full House of Representatives vote on 7 September, maintaining its impressive pace through the legislature. Yet despite its momentum, the Bill continues to attract controversy, ...OIC hails WIPO development trend
Underlining its commitment to development, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) held a ‘retreat’ for Geneva-based representatives of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) on 5 September, which took an in-depth lo...- Several leading trade unions in the US have expressed their concerns over proposed legislation to overhaul the country’s patent system. Since July, three of the major unions, including the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial...
JPO aims to tidy its license registry
It emerged over the weekend that the Japan Patent Office (JPO) is preparing to sharpen up its service by improving its system of registering license agreements. Currently a much under-used facility of Japan’s IP framework, the system provides l...- Despite reports indicating an upsurge of patent filing in North East Asia, the United States trade department is continuing to urge China to comply with IP best-practice. In its latest move, of 13 August, the department asked the World Trade Organisa...
Asian filing stats show promise
A 4.7% hike in worldwide patent filing, spurred on by the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), has been stimulated by increased activity in Asia. This finding comes from the 2007 Patent Report by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), which...Asia leading way in patent filings
A brand new report from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) states that China and surrounding Asian countries have helped produce a 4.7% rise in worldwide patent filings for the year 2005. The report is based on the most up to da...- Japanese electronics giant Sharp Corporation has announced that is has filed a lawsuit against Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. for the alleged infringements of five patents used in television, computer monitor and mobile phone technology. The compl...
Patent offices make dual filing top priority
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and Japan Patent Office (JPO) announced at the end of July that they have launched a new system for the electronic exchange of priority documents. Both offices are determined to make priority docu...- The citizens of Springfield avoided a hijack last week after the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) ruled that a satirical podcaster had registered a domain for thesimpsonsmovie.com in bad faith. New Yorker Keith Malley had registered th...
- Soft drinks maker, PepsiCo Inc, has won a lawsuit filed by rival Coca-Cola Co over a patent for containers used to dispense soft-drink syrup. Coca-Cola has twice successfully sued PepsiCo over the patented technology for a specially constructed co...
US bill looks unstoppable – yet worries persist
The US Patent Reform Bill’s juggernaut progress through the legislature has shown no sign of slowing, with developments in the House and Senate adding extra grease to its wheels. On 18 July, the Bill passed a long-awaited House reading at full ...- In Moscow on 17 July, the Russian patent office, Rospatent, and the European Patent Office (EPO) held a conference marking the first step in a joint campaign to promote the use of patent information. The two bodies are hoping to stimulate competition...
Future book to attack patent system
Two academics are poised to unleash a major critique of patents. Set for a 2008 printing, Do Patents Work? by James Bessen and Michael J Meurer contrasts the abstract elements of patenting with the more rigid laws of real estate, drawing sharp distin...MEPs review EU software patent status
A round-table discussion between EU politicians has turned the spotlight back onto the European software patent debate, with MEPs taking over from vested interests for the first time to offer their thoughts on the subject. Details of the conference, ...EPO aims for well-informed patent system
Stakeholders from academia and industry are set to speak at Patent Information on Innovations: a conference to be staged in Moscow on 17 July by the European Patent Office (EPO) in association with the Russian Patent Office. In the words of EPO me...Big Business speaks out on patent reform
Legal representatives from three of America’s biggest blue-chips met in Washington at the weekend to discuss issues surrounding the soon-to-be updated US patent laws. Lawyers from Microsoft Corp, Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Johnson & Johns...Medical tools org calls for surgery on Bill
On 19 June, the Medical Devices Manufacturers Association (MDMA) issued a press release and letter challenging key aspects of the US Patent Reform Bill, currently awaiting a House reading at full Committee level. The body, backed in its letter by 200...USPTO reveals plan to prevent plot-loss
On the weekend of 16 June, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) released an extraordinary announcement in response to an applicant who has filed for a handful of so-called ‘movie-plot patents’. With four film plots submit...Buying button still a pressing issue
Virginian firm, MercExchange has renewed its attack on a key feature of eBay’s buying service, alleging ongoing patent infringement. The company asked this week for an injunction to be placed on the popular auction site’s Buy-It-Now butto...Everyone’s joining the mobile phone game
In a strategically timed announcement, prior to Apple’s launch of its music playing iPhone in America this month, Sony Ericsson has filed a patent that could enable the PlayStation Portable (PSP) to be adapted to mobile phones. Their plans to...UK and Japan to open ideas Highway
July will see the opening of a long-awaited Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) between the UK Intellectual Property office (UKIPO) and the Japan patent Office (JPO). Designed to speed up dual filing arrangements between the two countries and enhance th...Brainchild roadshow pulls up at USPTO
The winner, runners-up and commended entries of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and History Channel-led Modern Marvels Invent Now Challenge have arrived at their spiritual home, following a brief tour. Between mid-March and late...Tomorrow’s patent holders THINK ahead
On 25 May, the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) announced the winners of its THINK kit competition, which took in 300 entries from UK schools on the theme ‘Hobby to Enterprise’. Students were encouraged to develop product ideas fro...Patents take centre-stage at conference
On 24 May, the London Wall offices of DLA Piper welcomed visitors from various UK law firms for its Third Annual Patent Law Seminar. Speaking at the event were Richard Taylor, George Godar, John McKinlay, Bonella Ramsay and Neville Cordell, who cover...Tomorrow’s patent holders THINK ahead
On 25 May, the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) announced the winners of its THINK kit competition, which took in 300 entries from UK schools on the theme ‘Hobby to Enterprise’. Students were encouraged to develop product ideas fro...Firms highlight EU-UK patent conflict
Five UK-based technological SMEs are confronting the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) over inconsistencies between British and European law. The firms – Astron Clinica, Cyan Holdings, Inrotis Technologies, Software 2000 and Surf Kitchen ...Small Tech still nervous on US patent reform
Patent law in the United States gained a higher profile on 16 May as the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property voted to send the long-touted Patent Reform Bill to full Committee stage. Only Republ...Inventor builds glowing legacy with wood process
On 15 May, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) unveiled Michael Sykes as the winner of this year’s Modern Marvels Invent Now Challenge, held in partnership with America’s National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation and th...- Innovation-rich economies need the right resources in place if they are to promote the correct use of IP on the eve of the UK launch of the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme, Nigel Clarke, project manager of esp@cenet explains what the European ...
- In April 2007, the European Commission outlined plans to replace national patent rules with a single EU-wide patent system. But is it too little too late? asks the Association for Competitive Technology’s Jonathan Zuck Earlier this month, th...
UK Court backs payouts after patent failure
Patent failure should not trigger the recall of damages won in infringement suits, according to the UK Court of Appeal. Details published since 10 May on Unilin Beheer BV v Berry Floor NV show that an award granted in litigation must still be paid if...Clinton Foundation backs Thai patent policy
The government of Thailand has attracted an unlikely supporter for its recent decision to issue government-use compulsory licenses on drugs made by American firms – former US President, Bill Clinton. Thai health minister, Mongkol Na Songkhla, a...- ‘Big Technology’ infringement suits could be harder to bring following a US Supreme Court ruling of 30 April. A verdict on KSR International Co v Teleflex Inc – previously reported on IP Review Online – had been hotly anticipa...
- ‘Big Technology’ infringement suits could be harder to bring following a US Supreme Court ruling of 30 April. A verdict on KSR International Co v Teleflex Inc – previously reported on IP Review Online – had been hotly anticipa...
US law change bid gains strong backing
Vermont’s Democrat Senator, Patrick Leahy, introduced his Patent Reform Bill into both US Houses on 18 April. Aiming to clear up outdated areas of current legislation, the Bill proposes a switch to first-to-file, plus limitations on the sums of...New research group to probe US patent plans
A new policy institute announced its presence among the power-brokers of Washington DC on 17 April. Set up and managed by a group of inventors, the Center for Patent Policy (CPP) is a think-tank with one simple mission statement: ‘To study how ...FFII meeting to comb EU patent landscape
Following recent intense debate over European patent harmonisation (click here for previous coverage), the Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII) has scheduled a special conference for 15 and 16 May in which the issue will be put und...EC announcement heats up SME debate
Days after the US House of Representatives became a centre of criticism over the effects of US patent law on small businesses (click here for IP Review Online’s coverage), a similar scenario has arisen in the heart of European legislature. A 4 ...Small firms speak out on US patent law
On 29 March, the US small business community took the floor of the House to criticise what it regards as restrictive patent laws. Set up to examine all aspects of US law in relation to smaller enterprises, the House Small Businesses Committee dedicat...EC strikes at Irish patent proviso
The European Commission has stirred controversy by asking the Irish government to cancel a fundamental proviso in its IP law, it emerged over the weekend. Taking issue with what it sees as a discriminatory clause in Irish patent law, the Commission a...Tech giants bond in patent pact
In a move that will be warmly received by the world’s IT community, Microsoft and Fuji Xerox unveiled a cross-licensing deal on 22 March, in which the firms will have access to each other’s patents for future and existing innovations. The...Tech orgs unite to preserve patent procedure
The three bodies behind the World Standards Co-operation initiative (WSC) have harmonised their policies on the inclusion of patented technology in standards. The move was announced in a 19 March joint press release from the International Electrotech...Earth stands still for Google opponent
A technology firm’s patent dispute with Google over its Google Earth feature ended on 7 March with a victory for the search giant. The outcome marks the end of nearly three years of legal wrangling, which began in May 2004 when Skyline Software...Secrecy vs security on the conference circuit
A US firm has been prevented from revealing the dangers of RFID chip-cloning to businesses, after a technology firm alleged that two of its patents had been infringed by the demonstration equipment. RFID (radio-frequency identification) is a growing ...- It was reported on 20 February that the US International Trade Commission (ITC) is becoming an ever greater force in the resolution of US patent disputes. As a consequence of globalisation and telecom improvements, US patent suits surged between 1997...
Are your patent claims on track?
Managing patent claims in the US can be a time consuming and often confusing process. IP professionals need to track and record amendments, arguments and prosecution estoppels that limit the scope of the patent, and substantiate existing rights in ca...Creating a new future for the patent system
Few could have predicted that patents would become such a valuable commodity when many of our national patent systems came into being. So is it any wonder that they are struggling to keep up with the volume of patent applications now being filed? ER ...New US bill targets patent law pros
It emerged on 13 February that the US House of Representatives has approved a bill that will test the effectiveness of diverting patent cases to the most capable judges on the circuit, enabling those without specialist knowledge to breathe a huge sig...McCreevy: EU patent ‘stuck in mud’
EU internal market commissioner, Charlie McCreevy, has vowed to have ‘one last go’ at establishing the EU patent this year, despite using a 1 February press conference to bemoan member states’ attitudes to the idea. According to...- In a release coinciding with the 30 January start of its Third Global Congress, ‘Shared Challenges, Common Goals’, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) announced that the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej, will receive i...
Coca-Cola trade secrets trial begins
The jury is being selected today, Tuesday 16 January, for Coca-Cola’s trade secret trial against a former employee, Joya Willams, who has been charged with the intention of leaking confidential documents and samples of products to rival soft ...IBM plans ‘Inventor’s Forum’ to speed up US patent process
The move towards patent reform in the US gathered strength this week, as IBM, the nation’s biggest patent holder, announced on 11 January that it will develop an online ‘Inventor’s Forum’ designed to improve patent quality. ...Italian turnaround on patent fees
The end of this week will see a reversal of the Italian government’s stance on patent fees, exactly one year after it abolished them. On 15 December, after much political debate, the Italian Senate approved the heavily amended budget that in...Financial patents: triumphs or tripwires?
A proliferation of financial patents in the US last year has led industry experts to question whether the rights are being exercised in good faith or simply for litigious purposes. By the end of 2006, 238 US patents had been issued in the financial s...Christmas cheer for revellers as Hangover ‘cure’ patented
Specialist nutrition firm, Dietblends Inc, announced with astute seasonal timing on 20 December that it had finally received a US patent for its Xo3 hangover treatment. The firm has always believed that preventative medicine is the key to quashing ha...Patent sale could grant license to sue
A DVD trading firm could corner a crucial area of Internet commerce after acquiring a patent first obtained by a low-key entrepreneur. Peerflix Inc has set 18 December as the date on which it will make changes to its business model, and speculation i...Search giant clinches page setup patent
Google announced this week that it has won a design patent for the layout of its search results screen. US Design No. 533,561 protects the style and positioning of icons carrying advertising, news links, search results and the characteristic Google l...Patent Office pledges action on Gowers
The UK Patent Office has released its official response to last week’s Gowers Review of UK intellectual property. Its chief executive, Ron Marchant, has welcomed the report’s findings. ‘I look forward to the Patent Office playing...Nokia success against InterDigital in patent dispute
This week saw another key victory for Nokia in its continuing battle against InterDigital Technology Corporation over patents for 3G mobile telephones. In a judgement delivered on Tuesday, the Court of Appeal in London upheld an earlier judgement o...UK Patent Office warns of mail sting
On 27 November, the UK Patent Office warned rights applicants to treat with suspicion any items of unsolicited mail requesting payment for registering patent or trademark details. Unofficial firms have been sending invoices to people whose IP applica...Brave new IT patents: One granted, one filed
Two exciting software IP announcements emerged on Thursday. PCTEL said that the USPTO had granted a patent to its Roaming Client tool, which allows users to veer between different wi-fi and cellular networks while maintaining voice and data calls. An...China to showcase patent progress
China’s National Seminar on Patent Technology ended on Monday, with an announcement that licenses had been granted to a series of patent exhibition and trade centres – news that may help to placate some of China’s harshest IP critic...- Forward-looking law firms are using competitive patent intelligence to proactively understand their prospective clients' patent portfolios. Marc Kaufman, partner at Nixon-Peabody LLP, explains how a patent analytics report from CPA played a key role ...
- TEN QUESTIONS THE CEO WILL ASK IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS In February 2006, IP Review Live gathered IP professionals from a wide range of backgrounds and industries to discuss the future trends of IP. Key presentations focused on driving business st...
From Sunk Costs to Sound Strategies
Everyone has heard about the huge financial successes that Dow Chemical, Lucent, Procter and Gamble, and more recently Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard, have made from IP portfolios. But where does a corporation begin? Suzanne Harrison, author of Edison...- Lara Salameh-Boro, head of business development at CPA, talks to Vicky Bamforth about the new patent analytics service, and explains how it developed. Some time ago, corporations and attorney firms began approaching CPA about a patent analysis ser...
- Patents promote innovation and protect ideas, so why is there so much opposition to software-related patents? Dr Stefan Schohe, patent attorney at Boehmert & Boehmert, outlines the debate. The dispute over patents on software-related inventio...
- Many employees create intellectual property in the course of their employment. This may be a product, a software prograpmme, an invention, a new logo or business plan. But who owns the rights to these materials: the creator or the employer? The answe...
Patent Classification in Motion
The International Patent Classification (IPC) system is being revised for the launch of its eighth version in January 2006. What are the changes, how did they come about, and what will their effect be? Mary Bonsell, senior technical information offic...- The role of intellectual property within a competitive environment is changing rapidly. Companies that align their IP portfolio with their business strategy can reach new levels of corporate success. But this can be a challenging and expensive proces...
UK Patents: the next generation
Many key features of the British Patents Act 2004 came into effect on 1 January 2005. What are the changes and what will they mean for patent holders looking to enforce their intellectual property rights in the UK? James Porter, from the UK Patent Of...- What happens when a corporation misses a renewal deadline? CPA partner Chris Rees, who is an attorney with Kilburn & Strode and chairman of Pamia Ltd (the patent attorneys mutual insurance association), looks at the consequences of leaving your r...
- As it becomes ever more important to merge IP and business strategy, utilising competitive patent analysis – on individual companies or industry ‘hot’ spots – allows companies to stay one step ahead of the game. Bianca McDonog...
- Almost eight years in the making, the Computer Implemented Invention Directive (CIID), also known as the EU Software Patent Directive, is still steeped in controversy. Edward Fennell explains. The sad history of the Computer Implemented Invention ...
How to Exploit Patents for Profit
Is buying and selling patents prudent management or trading the ‘family silver’? Peter Spours, executive vice-president of Thinkfire, outlines the pros and cons of trading in IP. Patents may have existed for the last 500 years, but the...Patently Female: a new market revealed?
When Deborah Jaffé began researching female patent holders, people told her, ‘but women have never invented anything!’ The publication of her book Ingenious Women, has changed all that. As Deborah shows, we owe female inventors an ...- Ever since the first fully computer-generated feature film, Pixar's Toy Story, tooko the box offices by storm in 1995, CGI has become big business for studio executives and IP experts, Jeremy Dickerson finds out more. Computer generated (CG) anima...
- Attention all UK innovators! You no longer need to hide behind your drawing boards, for your lives have just been made a lot easier: the UK Patent Office’s new Regulatory Reform (Registered Designs) Order, Registered Designs Rules, and Register...
Microsoft and Cadence to cross licence patents
Industry giants, Microsoft Corp and semiconductor design software leader Cadence Design Systems Inc said they are working to cross licence their patent portfolios to aid future collaboration in areas of interest. The patent cross licence will give...