July 28th, 2008

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

Patent News Watch

From First to File (www.firsttofile.com)
July 28th, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Headlines for the week: (Scroll down for articles)

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

-Qualcomm, Nokia avert Mobile World War
-Motorola wins text messaging patent case
-Nintendo Loses Battle with Patent Troll, Faces Ban
-Microsoft and the Yahoo patent portfolio
-State to get nearly $7 million in settlement with drug company
-Intellectual Ventures seeks to raise $2.5B
-US Patent Office rulings threaten key Google patent, says expert
-When the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Principle Doesn't Apply
-A prayer for Microsoft
-Inventor knew that rain must fall

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


Qualcomm, Nokia avert Mobile World War

(EETimes) The announcement this week of an intellectual property agreement between Qualcomm and Nokia is one that has the industry buzzing, with implications not only for the two companies involved, but also for the intellectual property (IP) and wireless communities at large, as well as the consumer.

Read More

Motorola wins text messaging patent case

(AP/CNN) Motorola Inc., the world's No. 3 cell phone maker, said Friday it won a patent case filed against the company over its text messaging software.

Read More

Nintendo Loses Battle with Patent Troll, Faces Ban

(eFlux Media) Nintendo lost a battle with patent troll Anascape, a company which somehow got its hands on twelve overbroad patents which appear to have no other aim than to rip off gadget makers. Nevertheless, U.S. District Judge Ron Clark in Lufkin, Texas, rejected Nintendo's request to overturn an earlier ruling which ordered Nintendo of America to pay $21 million to Anascape.

Read More

Microsoft and the Yahoo patent portfolio

(MarketWatch) The latest thinking in the Silicon Valley scene regarding the Microsoft-Yahoo-Carl Icahn Saga, which is not going away, might be about some sort of killer patent owned by Yahoo. Right now financial researchers everywhere are trying to figure out what exactly the patent is.

Read More

State to get nearly $7 million in settlement with drug company

(Seattle Times) Bristol-Myers Squibb has agreed to pay the Washington state nearly $7 million to settle allegations of illegal marketing and pricing of prescription medications.

Read More

Intellectual Ventures seeks to raise $2.5B

(Bizjournals) Intellectual Ventures LLC, the Bellevue patent-collecting firm founded by former Microsoft Chief Technology Officer Nathan Myhrvold, is seeking to raise up to $2.5 billion for a new investment fund, according to a regulatory filing.

Read More

US Patent Office rulings threaten key Google patent, says expert

(security.itproportal.com) Recent US patent rulings could undermine the patentability of software in the US at a stroke, a leading US patent expert has warned.

Read More

When the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Principle Doesn't Apply

(EFF) When I was a kid, it seemed that every third commercial I saw was for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Read More

A prayer for Microsoft

(CNET) Sunday morning, and I couldn't help but ponder Michael Tiemann's excellent note on Microsoft's revised (and improved) Open Specification Promise and "what Microsoft can do for open source."

Read More

Inventor knew that rain must fall

(Rep-Am) Maybe you've played this game. Light rain drizzles down on your car's windshield.

Read More

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

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.

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

July 21st, 2008

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

Patent News Watch

From First to File (www.firsttofile.com)
July 21st, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Headlines for the week: (Scroll down for articles)

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

-FTC hammers invention, patent promoters with $10M settlement
-Thomson wins appeal of software patent verdict
-3Com to Receive $70 Million from Realtek to Resolve Patent and Technology Issues
-Patents: The New Class Action Frontier?
-Hynix Might Pay $51 Million to Rambus for U.S. Access (Update3)
-Can a Patent Plaintiff Reserve Claims to be Filed in a Later Lawsuit?
-Protect later innovations without starting new patent application
-Creating A List From A Database? Prepare For A Patent Infringement Suit
-Trade agreement plans do not include iPod frisking
-Job Spotlight: Why Patent Examiners are getting upto a $9,000 signing bonus from Uncle Sam
-Patent Expiries, Empty Pipelines, And Safety Concerns Spell Woe For Pharma Industry
-Attorney dies after 107 well-spent years

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

FTC hammers invention, patent promoters with $10M settlement

(NetworkWorld) The owners of an invention promotion operation that charged up to $12,000 to evaluate and promote consumers' inventions agreed today to pay $10 million in consumer redress to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they deceived consumers across the country.

Read More

Thomson wins appeal of software patent verdict

(AP) A federal appellate court in Philadelphia on Monday overturned a jury's finding that Thomson Reuters Corp. infringed a patent for trading municipal bonds in Internet auctions.

Read More

3Com to Receive $70 Million from Realtek to Resolve Patent and Technology Issues

(BUSINESS WIRE/WSJ) 3Com Corporation today announced that on July 11, 2008 3Com and Realtek Group reached an agreement with respect to certain networking technologies of 3Com that will resolve the long-standing patent dispute between the companies

Read More

Patents: The New Class Action Frontier?

(The Recorder/Law.com) An intense patent fight between rivals Synopsys Inc. and Magma Design Automation cost Magma $12.5 million to settle last year.

Read More

Hynix Might Pay $51 Million to Rambus for U.S. Access (Update3)

(Bloomberg) Hynix Semiconductor Inc., the world's second-largest maker of memory chips, might be forced to pay more than $51 million a year, or 11 cents a share, to Rambus Inc. rather than be barred from its $1.2 billion computer-chip market in the U.S. by a federal judge in California.

Read More

Can a Patent Plaintiff Reserve Claims to be Filed in a Later Lawsuit?

(PatentlyO) Over the past few years, the CAFC has been developing its jurisprudence on both claim preclusion and issue preclusion. A new appeal will likely add to the mix.

Read More

Protect later innovations without starting new patent application

(TechJornal) Today's rapidly-changing technological environment mandates that companies continually revise and refine their innovations to keep up with their markets.

Read More

Creating A List From A Database? Prepare For A Patent Infringement Suit

(Techdirt) Thanks to the whole slew of folks who sent this in: TechCrunch has the details on Channel Intelligence, a company that owns a ridiculously broad and obvious patent on creating a list from a database and is now suing a whole bunch of small websites that offer things like wishlists.

Read More

Trade agreement plans do not include iPod frisking

(Proportal) A feared trade agreement between the world's richest countries that opponents claimed would allow for the examining and impounding of iPods at airports is unlikely to result in such activities.

Read More

Job Spotlight: Why Patent Examiners are getting upto a $9,000 signing bonus from Uncle Sam

(OhMyGov!) One could argue that the patent system in the United States is the single key to the economic success of capitalism in this country.

Read More

Patent Expiries, Empty Pipelines, And Safety Concerns Spell Woe For Pharma Industry

(Pharmaceuticalonline) Informa Pharma analyst Dr Peter Charlish highlights the tough issues facing the pharma industry and explains why the next few weeks will be critical in gauging how the world's major drug companies will fare during the next couple of years.

Read More

Attorney dies after 107 well-spent years

(ConcordMonitor) Where do you start when speaking about Charles Yardley Chittick?

Read More

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

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.

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

July 14th, 2008

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

Patent News Watch

From First to File (www.firsttofile.com)
July 14th, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Headlines for the week: (Scroll down for articles)

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

-3Com to Receive $70 Million from Realtek to Resolve Patent and Technology Issues
-Boston Scientific loses bid for new patent trial in drug-treated stent case
-Patent lawsuit leads to claim of bribery
-Man says Nike cashing in on his cap
-Patent pools may flow in wake of latest alliance
-Time To Close The ITC Patent Injunction Loophole
-Is Cost Accounting To Blame For Patent Hoarding?
-Patent Gridlock Suppresses Innovation
-Can the USPTO handle the surge of going GREEN?
-Apple introduces real-world gestures

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


3Com to Receive $70 Million from Realtek to Resolve Patent and Technology Issues

(BUSINESS WIRE/WSJ) 3Com Corporation today announced that on July 11, 2008 3Com and Realtek Group reached an agreement with respect to certain networking technologies of 3Com that will resolve the long-standing patent dispute between the companies.

Read More

Boston Scientific loses bid for new patent trial in drug-treated stent case

(The Canadian Press) A U.S. federal judge rejected a request by Boston Scientific Corp. for a new trial in a patent-infringement case that ended with a US$501-million judgment against the medical-device maker.

Read More

Patent lawsuit leads to claim of bribery

(Star Tribune) Buried deep in the pleadings of a patent infringement lawsuit in Minneapolis is a rare glimpse into a world of corporate intrigue highlighted by allegations of bribery to grab a lucrative foreign contract for producing government identity cards.

Read More

Man says Nike cashing in on his cap

(WORLD-HERALD) Gerald Kellogg may never walk in Lance Armstrong's shoes, but he says the two wear the same cap.

Read More

Patent pools may flow in wake of latest alliance

(EE Times) A group of 11 high tech companies that have combined their clout to buy, license and sell strategic patents may point the way for more patent pools to come in a maturing market for intellectual property.

Read More

Time To Close The ITC Patent Injunction Loophole

(Techdirt) For quite some time, we've been pointing out how patent holders have been using a bit of a loophole to get two separate shots at getting an injunction against other companies in patent disputes.

Read More

Is Cost Accounting To Blame For Patent Hoarding?

(Techdirt) Michael F. Martin is a lawyer/investor who is always good for some interesting debates in the comments here on the question of patents.

Read More

Patent Gridlock Suppresses Innovation

(WSJ) The Founders might have used quill pens, but they would roll their eyes at how, in this supposedly technology-minded era, we're undermining their intention to encourage innovation.

Read More

Can the USPTO handle the surge of going GREEN?

(PLI) We have lived the technology boom, the biotech/pharmaceutical boom, and now we are faced with an increasing level of reorganizing our lives to become more politically correct citizens and conserve energy.

Read More

Apple introduces real-world gestures

(Macnn) A new Apple patent was published by the US Patent & Trademark Office late last week that generally relates to the detection and interpretation of gestures by touch-and-hover sensitive devices like the iPhone, and more particularly, to the detection and interpretation of real-world gestures and security-related gestures by touch and hover sensitive devices.

Read More

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

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.

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

July 7th, 2008

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

Patent News Watch

From First to File (www.firsttofile.com)
July 7th, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Headlines for the week: (Scroll down for articles)

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

-U.S. Patent Office ruling supports Titleist
-Nokia, InterDigital Unit Settle Suits
-In a "Surprising" Victory, Barr and Mylan Invalidate Boehringer Ingelheim's Patent on Mirapex
-Patent-holders' next target: medical device makers?
-Intellectual Property on Trial
-The value of branding becomes patent
-Seven Questions in Seven Minutes with USPTO Director John LeGuyader
-US striving for sustainability
-Reigniting the Engine of Growth with the Sparkplug of Invention
-Encouraging results from Peer-to-Patent
-July 7, 1936: Get a Grip - Phillips Screws Up the Toolbox

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


U.S. Patent Office ruling supports Titleist

(Standard-Times/southcoasttoday) Acushnet Co. won a victory last week in its ongoing fight against Callaway Golf for the right to continue to manufacture its wildly successful Titleist Pro V1 golf balls.

Read More

Nokia, InterDigital Unit Settle Suits

(WSJ) Nokia Corp. settled two patent-infringement lawsuits in U.K. courts with a unit of InterDigital Inc., a wireless-technology developer.

Read More

In a "Surprising" Victory, Barr and Mylan Invalidate Boehringer Ingelheim's Patent on Mirapex

(istockanalyst) Last week, following a bench trial held in March, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware held that Boehringer Ingelheim's patent on Mirapex (pramipexole dihydrochloride) is invalid for obviousness-type double patenting.

Read More

Patent-holders' next target: medical device makers?

(thepriorart) I reported a few weeks ago that following two big verdicts against Boston Scientific, patent-holding company Acacia Research Corporation filed a lawsuit in the medical-device area.

Read More

Intellectual Property on Trial

(americanbanker) Sick and tired of "patent troll" lawsuits against banks, the Financial Services Roundtable and several institutional members such as Bank of America are urging a federal court to overturn the patentability of certain business method processes.

Read More

The value of branding becomes patent

(ft) More companies are filing for patents in China - and suing to enforce patent rights there - than anywhere else in the world, highlighting a new Chinese attitude to intellectual property.

Read More

Seven Questions in Seven Minutes with USPTO Director John LeGuyader

(patentbaristas) This week Patent Baristas talked with John LeGuyader, Director of TC 1600 at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, about the regarding the biotech section's take on alternate claiming strategies and restrictions:

Read More

US striving for sustainability

(delawareonline) Secured to one corner of the Graham Hall roof, a set of solar panels keeps the lights on inside the University of Delaware's Center for Energy and Environmental Policy.

Read More

Reigniting the Engine of Growth with the Sparkplug of Invention

Why do patents end up in litigation? Typically, people answer that it is the amount of money at stake. This answer is not wrong.

Read More

Encouraging results from Peer-to-Patent

(O'reillyRadar) Congratulations to the organizers of Peer-to-Patent, which is carrying off one of the most audacious experiments in Internet activism in our day.

Read More

July 7, 1936: Get a Grip - Phillips Screws Up the Toolbox

(Wired) 1936: Henry F. Phillips receives patents for a new kind of screw and the new screwdriver needed to make it work.

Read More

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

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.

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