Monday, April 28, 2008

April 28th, 2008

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Patent News Watch
From First to File (www.firsttofile.com)
April 28th, 2008
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Headlines for the week: (Scroll down for articles)

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-LG accuses Whirlpool of patent infringement
-New York Mom Sues Victoria's Secret Over Bra Design
-MPEG-2 Patent Owners Sue Target Corporation for MPEG-2 Patent Infringement
-Bayer CropScience Goes After Chinese Company In Patent Suit
-Ex-Bristol-Myers Squibb official indicted for lying to feds
-Can Anyone Stop DataTreasury In its Patents Crusade?
-Could Constitutional Flaw Unravel Eight Years of Patent Board Rulings?
-Court asks government's views on states' patent liability
-Patent Office CIO to resign
-Patents in China - Is There Any Real Protection?
-Public successfully participates in U.S. Patent Examinination Proces
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LG accuses Whirlpool of patent infringement


(Reuters) LG Electronics on Thursday accused top appliance maker Whirlpool Corp of infringing three of the South Korean company's appliance patents.

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New York Mom Sues Victoria's Secret Over Bra Design

(FoxNews) A woman sued Victoria's Secret on Monday, claiming the lingerie company's latest secret is that they stole her idea for a bra whose straps can be worn different ways.

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MPEG-2 Patent Owners Sue Target Corporation for MPEG-2 Patent Infringement

(BusinessWire) MPEG LA, LLC, announced that several MPEG-2 patent owners have filed an enforcement action in the Federal District Court of the Southern District of New York against Target Corporation ("Target") and Doe Corporations 1-10, fictitious names for corporations currently unknown to the plaintiffs, for infringing patents essential to the MPEG-2 digital video compression standard used worldwide in digital television broadcasting and DVD.

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Bayer CropScience Goes After Chinese Company In Patent Suit

(ChinaCSR) Bayer CropScience says it has filed a lawsuit against the Chinese company Jiangsu Tian Rong in an intermediate court in Jiangsu to enforce rights under its Chinese Mefenpyr patent.

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Ex-Bristol-Myers Squibb official indicted for lying to feds

(AFP) A former senior vice president of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMS) has been indicted for lying about a patent deal involving the blood-thinning drug Plavix, justice officials said Wednesday.

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Can Anyone Stop DataTreasury In its Patents Crusade?

(BankTech) It looks like Data Treasury has claimed yet another victim in its patents game. It was announced recently that PNC Financial was the latest FI to settle with the notorious patent litigant over technology around electronic check imaging.

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Could Constitutional Flaw Unravel Eight Years of Patent Board Rulings?

(Law.com) The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office may have a major problem on its hands -- the possibly unconstitutional appointment of nearly two-thirds of its patent appeals judges.

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Court asks government's views on states' patent liability

(CNN/AP) The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Bush administration to weigh in on a long-running fight between states and big business over whether states can be held liable for patent infringement.

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Patent Office CIO to resign

(FCW) David Freeland, who has been chief information officer at the Patent and Trademark Office since 2005, has announced his plans to leave the agency.

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Patents in China - Is There Any Real Protection?

(LocalTechWire) With increased pressure from the West and the World Trade Organization, China has instituted a number of reforms to its patent system.

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Public successfully participates in U.S. Patent Examinination Process

(NYLS) For the first time in patent history, the general public has successfully used the Internet to help improve the quality of patent applications.

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Monday, April 21, 2008

April 21st, 2008

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Patent News Watch
From First to File (www.firsttofile.com)
April 21st, 2008
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Headlines for the week: (Scroll down for articles)

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-Pfizer wins blood-pressure drug patent decision in Canada
-AstraZeneca shares soar as patent case settled
-Appeals Court Overturns $78.9 Million Patent Verdict Against DirecTV
-Seagate files patent suit against drive-maker Stec
-US senator says "trying to resuscitate" patent bill
-U.S. patent chief: applications up, quality down
-Cisco blogger dragged into patent lawyer suit
-The Greening Of Patent Litigation
-Patent trolls and patent-busters
-Apple patent could revolutionize online shopping
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Pfizer wins blood-pressure drug patent decision in Canada

(Forbes) Drug developer Pfizer Inc. said late Thursday that a Canadian court upheld a patent covering the active ingredient in its blood-pressure drug Norvasc.

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AstraZeneca shares soar as patent case settled

(TimesOnline) Shares in AstraZeneca rose sharply after the pharmaceuticals group settled a legal battle against India's largest generic drugs maker over the rights to produce one of the world's most valuable medicines.

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Appeals Court Overturns $78.9 Million Patent Verdict Against DirecTV

(Dow Jones/CNN) A Washington-based appeals court Friday overturned a $78.9 million patent infringement judgment against DirecTV Group Inc., in a lawsuit involving claims by Finisar Corp.

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Seagate files patent suit against drive-maker Stec

(AP/Chron) Stec Inc., which makes solid-state computer drives, said Tuesday it is being sued by disk-drive maker Seagate Technology LLC for patent infringement.

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US senator says "trying to resuscitate" patent bill

(Reuters) A leading senator said on Wednesday that the troubled patent bill, which has pitted big drug companies against high-tech firms, may be salvageable.

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U.S. patent chief: applications up, quality down

(EE TIMES) The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently received an application seeking a patent for what was claimed to be a better way to stand in line while waiting to use an airplane toilet.

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Cisco blogger dragged into patent lawyer suit

(MarketWatch) A Cisco Systems Inc. employee who authored a controversial blog about so-called "patent trolls" has continued to draw unwanted attention to the company, this time being dragged into a high-profile tussle between a law firm and one of its ousted attorneys.

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The Greening Of Patent Litigation

(Energy-Daily) The Cleantech Group at Heslin Rothenberg Farley and Mesiti P.C. continues to monitor Intellectual Property trends in the Cleantech arena. In addition to its signature Clean Energy Patent Growth Index, the Group has analyzed litigation trends in the clean energy area and has found that litigation has proliferated over the last several years.

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Patent trolls and patent-busters

(ABC News) Once upon a time, Abraham Lincoln famously said that the patent system was intended to secure "to the inventor, for a limited time, the exclusive use of his invention; and thereby added the fuel of interest to the fire of genius, in the discovery and production of new and useful things."

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Apple patent could revolutionize online shopping

(Palluxo) Apple seems to be creating a new way of interaction with with their online store. Their latest patent filing titled "Enhancing Online Shopping Atmosphere" demonstrates Apple's commitment to revolutionize the online shopping experience.

Read More

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The First to File EFR™ electronic filing and storage system is our next generation product which is designed to reduce paper output in corporate patent departments. This system integrates seamlessly with outside docketing providers and document management systems using XML API technology. The First to File EFR system is an out of box solution with customized fields and user profiles to match your company's IP management workflow.

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FTF Technologies specializes in finding cost-effective solutions to meet the needs of individual patent departments. To find out more information about First to File EFR™, please click Here.
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Monday, April 14, 2008

April 14th, 2008

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Patent News Watch
From First to File (www.firsttofile.com)
April 14th, 2008
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Headlines for the week: (Scroll down for articles)

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3Com Wins Patent Infringement Trial Against Realtek
Microsoft to Appeal $367M Patent Ruling
Big tech companies accused of overstating patent problems
Closely-watched case may spell trouble for software patents
Patent Bill Loses Key GOP Supporter Over Damage Assessment Language
US Court Denies Dish Patent Appeal
Microsoft Asks Supreme Court To Look Into Patent Validity
Boeing Patent Shuts Down AMC-14 Lunar Flyby Salvage Attempt
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3Com Wins Patent Infringement Trial Against Realtek

(Business Wire) 3Com Corporation Friday announced that on April 9, 2008, a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California awarded the company $45.3 million for past patent infringement by Realtek Semiconductor Corporation 3Com was represented in the case by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, LLP.

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Microsoft to Appeal $367M Patent Ruling

(AP/Missoulian) A jury on Friday ordered Microsoft Corp. to pay $367.4 million to Alcatel-Lucent for infringing on two patents, a decision the software maker vowed to appeal.

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Big tech companies accused of overstating patent problems

(C/Net) A handful of patent lawyers on Friday beat up on large technology companies lobbying for a U.S. patent system revamp, arguing that their efforts could discourage start-ups, prompt foreign competitors to rip off inventions, and tear apart the economy more generally.

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Closely-watched case may spell trouble for software patents

(ARS Technica) Two of the nation's leading civil liberties organizations and a new organization dedicated to the abolition of software patents have all filed amicus briefs in a patent case that could give the courts an opportunity to revisit the issue of software and business method patents. The case involves an application for a patent that would cover "a method for managing the consumption risk costs of a commodity" through a series of financial transactions.

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Patent Bill Loses Key GOP Supporter Over Damage Assessment Language

(LexisNexis) Patrick J. Leahy, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, lost the support of a key Republican on Wednesday as he seeks to hash out new language for legislation overhauling the nation's patent laws.

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US Court Denies Dish Patent Appeal

(AP) A federal appeals court said Friday it won't reconsider a ruling favoring TiVo Inc. in its patent dispute with Dish Network Corp.

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Microsoft Asks Supreme Court To Look Into Patent Validity

(Techdirt) Looks like the Supreme Court will have yet another chance to weigh in on patent issues, as it's taken an active interest in the space for a few years now. Microsoft has appealed an appeals court ruling in a patent lawsuit to the Supreme Court. At issue is the standard courts need to use in assessing the validity of a patent.

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Boeing Patent Shuts Down AMC-14 Lunar Flyby Salvage Attempt

(Space-Travel) Attempts to salvage a wayward GEO comsat have come unstuck in the face of institutional disinterest and an aging patent of questionable validity.

Read More

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About Us - Go Green with our exclusive First to File® EFR system

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The First to File EFR™ electronic filing and storage system is our next generation product which is designed to reduce paper output in corporate patent departments. This system integrates seamlessly with outside docketing providers and document management systems using XML API technology. The First to File EFR system is an out of box solution with customized fields and user profiles to match your company's IP management workflow.

First to File EFR™ also features the following:

· Exclusive Tri-Fold™ interface
· Effective patent workflow process management
· Fully searchable text with InstantOCR™
· WebDAV drag-and-drop functionality
· Centralized Reference Library with search and ranking
· PAIR integration
· LDAP administration
· Managed user access
· Effective group collaboration
· Serversecure™ technology
· Document level security access

FTF Technologies specializes in finding cost-effective solutions to meet the needs of individual patent departments. To find out more information about First to File EFR™, please click Here.
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Monday, April 7, 2008

April 7th, 2008

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Patent News Watch
From First to File (www.firsttofile.com)
April 7th, 2008
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Headlines for the week: (Scroll down for articles)

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-Microsoft ordered to pay $367M to Alacatel-Lucent for infringing on 2 patents
-Symantec drops Microsoft lawsuit
-US court reverses ruling for Forest in Caraco suit
-Patent Lawyers Do the Boogie as Court Shoots Down PTO Rules
-Patent Issues a Growing Concern for Banks
-Bush Administration Speaks Against Patent Overhaul
-Organized labor's opposition to patent reform bill could put Democratic senators in tough spot
-Internet, consumer patents rule at auction
-Miami-Dade sued in patent case
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Microsoft ordered to pay $367M to Alacatel-Lucent for infringing on 2 patents

(International Harald Tribune) A jury ordered Microsoft Corp. on Friday to pay $367.4 million (€233.7 million) to Alcatel-Lucent for infringing on two patents, a decision the software maker vowed to appeal.

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Symantec drops Microsoft lawsuit

(The Register) Microsoft and Symantec have agreed to settle a lawsuit filed two years ago over the use of Veritas code in Microsoft products, including Windows Vista.

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US court reverses ruling for Forest in Caraco suit

(Reuters) A federal appeals court reversed on Tuesday a ruling favoring Forest Laboratories Inc in a patent dispute with generic drugmaker Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories over the blockbuster antidepressant drug Lexapro.

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Patent Lawyers Do the Boogie as Court Shoots Down PTO Rules

(The Wall Street Jornal) The patent crowd is an excitable bunch. Whenever a big ruling is handed down, the Law Blog typically receives a few helpful e-mails from lawyers in that practice area giving us their thoughts.

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Patent Issues a Growing Concern for Banks

(Banktech) Patents are one of the issues that hover in the backs of bankers' minds -- they know patents can be important, but seldom do they address the topic unless prompted to do so by a lawsuit, say experts. Unfortunately for the banking industry, legal wrangling around financial services patents is becoming all too common.

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Bush Administration Speaks Against Patent Overhaul

(PCWorld) U.S. Senate negotiators are getting closer to hammering out disagreements that are holding up a patent system overhaul, but President George Bush's administration still has concerns about the bill, an administration official said Friday.

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Organized labor's opposition to patent reform bill could put Democratic senators in tough spot

(AP) The battle over patent reform, a sleepy sounding subject that affects new, cheaper medicines, Chinese counterfeits and BlackBerry addicts, has always sent high-tech companies and drugmakers to their respective corners.

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Internet, consumer patents rule at auction

(CNet) Jonathan Bari didn't seem too nervous until the $725,000 glitch. A woman, taking commands from someone at the other end of her cell phone, had bid $750,000 on the patent portfolio he was selling at the Ocean Tomo IP Auction last week in San Francisco. The patents covered an online authentication system for consumers devised by his old company Catavault.

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Miami-Dade sued in patent case

(Miami Herald) A lawsuit alleges Miami International Airport does not have a licensing agreement to use a patented parking security system that helps to identify stolen cars as they leave the airport's parking lots.

Read More

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About Us - Go Green with our exclusive First to File® EFR system

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The First to File EFR™ electronic filing and storage system is our next generation product which is designed to reduce paper output in corporate patent departments. This system integrates seamlessly with outside docketing providers and document management systems using XML API technology. The First to File EFR system is an out of box solution with customized fields and user profiles to match your company's IP management workflow.

First to File EFR™ also features the following:

· Exclusive Tri-Fold™ interface
· Effective patent workflow process management
· Fully searchable text with InstantOCR™
· WebDAV drag-and-drop functionality
· Centralized Reference Library with search and ranking
· PAIR integration
· LDAP administration
· Managed user access
· Effective group collaboration
· Serversecure™ technology
· Document level security access

FTF Technologies specializes in finding cost-effective solutions to meet the needs of individual patent departments. To find out more information about First to File EFR™, please click Here.
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