News release: “Google Inc. has agreed to change some of its business practices to resolve Federal Trade Commission concerns that those practices could stifle competition in the markets for popular devices such as smart phones, tablets and gaming consoles, as well as the market for online search advertising. Under a settlement reached with the FTC,… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Patent and Trademark
FTC and Google Settlement Reporting in the Works
POLITICO: “Federal regulators may end a two-year antitrust probe of Googles search business by letting the company make voluntary changes, such as limiting use of restaurant and travel reviews from other websites and letting search ad campaigns be easily ported to rival search services, two sources with knowledge of the case told POLITICO. The FTC… Continue Reading
EPO and SIPO launch Chinese-English machine translation for patents
News release: “Breaking new ground in providing access to the most comprehensive technological information, the European Patent Office (EPO) and the State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China (SIPO) today launched the Chinese-English component of the EPO’s free automatic translation service Patent Translate. As a result, the collections of the two largest… Continue Reading
The Study on the Functioning of the European Trade Mark System
Knaak, Roland, Kur, Annette and Von Mühlendahl, Alexander, The Study on the Functioning of the European Trade Mark System (November 1, 2012). Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property & Competition Law Research Paper No. 12-13. Available at SSRN “As an element in the comprehensive evaluation of European trade mark law currently undertaken by the European… Continue Reading
Patent Granted to License Textbook Content Shared on Web-based Systems
Ars Technica: “In a newly approved patent, an economics professor hopes to bring to the academic publishing world what seems to be forthcoming in the video game industrynew restrictions that would seemingly eliminate a secondary market for digital goods and prevent legal borrowing. Last week, the 2006 patent for a Web-based system and method to… Continue Reading
District Court, Northern District CA – Oracle America, Inc. v. Google Inc.
Oracle America, Inc. v. Google Inc., Case3:10-cv-03561-WHA Document1202 Filed 05/31/12: “In 2007, Google Inc., announced its Android software platform for mobile devices. In 2010, Oracle Corporation acquired Sun Microsystems, Inc., and thus acquired Suns interest in the popular programming language known as Java, a language used in Android. Sun was renamed Oracle America, Inc. Shortly… Continue Reading
Twitter Introduces the Innovator's Patent Agreement
Twitter blog: “One of the great things about Twitter is working with so many talented folks who dream up and build incredible products day in and day out. Like many companies, we apply for patents on a bunch of these inventions. However, we also think a lot about how those patents may be used in… Continue Reading
Microsoft Purchases Majority of AOL's Intellectual Property, Including Netscape Patents
Ben Kersey: “Microsoft and AOL …signed a deal that would see MSFT pick up 800 of AOLs patents for around $1 billion in cash. The deal is expected to close at the end of 2012, with Microsoft being able to leverage AOLs remaining 300 patents under a non-exclusive license. As it turns out, there was… Continue Reading
The Private and Social Costs of Patent Trolls
The Private and Social Costs of Patent Trolls, Bessen, James E., Meurer, Michael J. and Ford, Jennifer Laurissa, (September 19, 2011). Boston Univ. School of Law, Law and Economics Research Paper No. 11-45. “In the past, non-practicing entities (NPEs) – firms that license patents without producing goods – have facilitated technology markets and increased rents… Continue Reading
Patent Reform Unleashing Innovation, Promoting Economic Growth & Producing High-Paying Jobs
House Committee on the Judiciary: Background on H.R. 1249, the America Invents Act: “On June 23 the House overwhelmingly approved HR 1249, the America Invents Act, by a vote of 304-117. H.R. 1249 updates our patent system to encourage innovation, job creation, and economic growth. The last major patent reform was nearly 60 years ago.… Continue Reading
FTC Report Examines How Authorized Generics Affect the Pharmaceutical Market
News release: “The Federal Trade Commission issued a final report, Authorized Generic Drugs: Short-Term Effects and Long-Term Impact, that concludes when pharmaceutical companies introduce an authorized generic version of their brand-name drug, it can reduce both retail and wholesale drug prices. The report also found that authorized generics have a substantial effect on the revenues… Continue Reading
Patent Trolls
“Why would a company rent an office in a tiny town in East Texas, put a nameplate on the door, and leave it completely empty for a year? The answer involves a controversial billionaire physicist in Seattle, a 40 pound cookbook, and a war waging right now, all across the software and tech industries.” This… Continue Reading
