Newsletter Archives

• Are patents killing tech innovation?

  Posted on December 2, 2024 at 02:44 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  Some say patents are an essential way to convince inventors to discover novel technologies, while others feel that overly broad patents are blocking tech inventions that would benefit us — well, who’s right?

  The Business Software Alliance — an association with offices in more than 30 countries — counts among its members numerous computer giants including Adobe, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and more. To “support US technology leadership,” the BSA strives for the co-licensing of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs). This ensures that its members can coordinate each other’s’ claims on Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 5G, HDMI, HTTPS, and other widely used protocols, according to the BSA’s Patent Policy Agenda.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.49.0, 2024-12-02).

  Public Defender Innovation, Intellectual property, Newsletters, Patents

• Got change for a billion-dollar bill?

  Posted on June 3, 2024 at 02:43 CDT by Max Stul Oppenheimer • Comment in the Forums

  LEGAL BRIEF

  

  By Max Stul Oppenheimer, Esq.

  Large patent-infringement verdicts have been in the news recently.

  On May 10, a jury awarded IPA Technologies $242 million against Microsoft for infringing US Patent 7,069,560 by incorporating the patented technology into its Cortana digital assistant. Nearly a month earlier, a jury awarded Kove IO $525 million against Amazon for using Kove’s patented technology in its AWS products.

  Should you care?

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.23.0, 2024-06-03).

  Legal Brief Newsletters, patent infringement, Patents, Software, User Rights

• Note to Congress: Please try to keep up

  Posted on January 9, 2023 at 02:43 CST by Max Stul Oppenheimer • Comment in the Forums

  LEGAL BRIEF

  

  By Max Stul Oppenheimer, Esq.

  That’s a big ask.

  In a previous column, I explained why law always lags technology.

  To summarize, case law is by definition reactive. Courts don’t go out and look for cases; they wait for someone to be upset enough to bring one to them. Legislatures can be proactive, but they can’t act until they realize there’s a problem to be acted upon. So it is not surprising that new issues will arise, and we will need to be patient while solutions are agreed upon.

  But …

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.02.0, 2023-01-09).

  Legal Brief Artificial Intelligence, Copyright, Fair Use, Legal, Newsletters, Patents