Recent Articles

An NSF-Lite Won’t Protect Future Edison’s From US IP Junta

May 15, 2008 18:19

Recently a branch of the Brookings Institution's (a think tank) has called for a National Innovation Foundation to arrest the United States' declining role in worldwide research and development. The U.S. share of worldwide R&D spending fell from 43% in 1986 to 37% in 2003. The U.S. lead in...

Titans, Trolls and Sam

April 17, 2008 17:26

A five-year-old boy has followed in the footsteps of his cartoon inventor heroes by patenting his idea for a new double-headed broom.Wallace and Gromit fan Sam Houghton is believed to be the youngest person in the UK to register a patent, having had his lightbulb moment at the age of just three.He...

Apple fails to overcome Smartphone patent

January 28, 2008 23:03

Last week the US Patent and Trademark Office issued Minerva Industries a patent on "a mobile entertainment and communication device." Reading the patent, you’ll realize it describes a now common smartphone configuration. The patent itself address a mobile phone with removable storage, an internet...

IPocalypse Now – sponsored by India Inc.

January 26, 2008 01:41

India has the potential to become a major producer of everything from new cars to engineered vegetables over the next five years, but likely won’t unless the country develops a bit of respect for other peoples rights. India's corporations have grown rapidly over the last decade and this has been...

When is a Troll not a Troll?

January 25, 2008 21:05

When it’s Verizon of course! Having undone Vonage, Verizon is now taking aim at the cable guys with a VOIP patent suit filed against cable operators. We should all applaud and encourage Verizon to enforce its rights especially since they’ve proven that it can't earn a living selling standard...

IBM's patent reform pretense

January 23, 2008 20:00

Self-professed patent reformer IBM grabbed a patent Tuesday for a Variable Rate Toll System, which raises tolls as congestion increases. 'Congestion pricing of traffic is emerging as a completely new services market for IBM,' said Jamie Houghton, IBM's Global Leader for Road Charging. Many people...

Chinese IT company sues Microsoft over IP rights

January 22, 2008 21:53

Zhongyi Electronic Ltd., which is a major Chinese font and input method provider, is suing U.S.-based Microsoft for intellectual property rights (IPR) violations.The case brought by the Beijing-based company involves Microsoft's use of Zhengma, a system that allows Internet users to type Chinese...

Supreme Court steps in on IP rights.

January 22, 2008 21:30

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering Quanta v. LG, which could determine the future direction of patent law.In Quanta v. LG, LG Electronics and Intel settled a group of disputes over patents on microchips by giving Intel only a limited license. It made sense for Intel to buy freedom from suit...