Feb
28
Things Actually Said In Court
Posted by Keeley Vega at 5:19 pm under Litigation.
Not quite IP-related, but hilarious, so I had to share:
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure? WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing? WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was […]
Feb
28
iPhone willful infringement?
Posted by Dirk Avery at 9:10 am under Litigation, Patent.
You know when your cell phone rings, you see the name of the person calling, if it’s one of your contacts? That technology was patented by Romek Figa. Apple’s iPhone includes the functionality but the company never secured a license. Figa is now suing Apple. (5-page complaint is here.)
Many of the […]
Feb
27
National Geographic and Tasini
Posted by Dirk Avery at 8:47 pm under Copyright, Litigation.
National Geographic has been attempting for nearly a decade to release a CD-ROM version of the magazine but has been thwarted by copyright issues. The freelance contributors claim that a digital version is a new work and would infringe their copyrights. NG, on the other hand, led by Ken Starr of Clinton-fame, argues […]
Feb
25
Patent updates
Posted by Dirk Avery at 12:10 pm under Litigation, Patent, Technology.
Microsoft’s promise to refrain from patent-infringement suits
Last week we wrote about Wariness over Microsoft’s openness. Today various stories reaffirm that concern. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer writes:
But [Microsoft’s] promise last week specifically excluded commercially distributed open-source software. Microsoft said commercial uses of its patented communications protocols would require licensing payments. That drew criticism from Michael […]
Feb
25
Copyright cites: Google
Posted by Dirk Avery at 11:48 am under Copyright, Litigation.
Last week Reuters reports that a Viacom, YouTube/Google document production deadline has been extended two additional months:
A deadline for Google Inc to turn over documents in Viacom Inc’s $1 billion copyright lawsuit against the Web search leader has been extended by two months by a federal judge.
Google’s attorneys had asked that a March 7 deadline […]
Feb
22
Foo Fighters battle X-Men
Posted by Dirk Avery at 10:02 am under Copyright, Litigation.
If you’ve seen the new trailers for Wolverine and X-Men, you might have noticed some cool Foo Fighters music. Unfortunately, Marvel allegedly did not get permission to use the music! Oops.
Feb
19
Patent updates: Motorola, RIM, Reform
Posted by Dirk Avery at 9:37 am under Litigation, Patent.
Motorola, RIM countersuits: infringement and reasonable licenses for essential technology
Research In Motion is suing Motorola over several patents used for wireless devices like its BlackBerry e-mail devices and Motorola’s Razr smartphones… [Canadian] Research In Motion… asked a United States District Court in Dallas to rule that Motorola was breaching commitments it had made to license […]
Feb
18
Google, Microsoft Sued and Patent Reform
Posted by Keeley Vega at 10:29 pm under Litigation, Patent.
Google, Microsoft Sued Over Keyword Auction Patent
Paid Search Engine Tools LLC, a corporation based in Liberty Township, Ohio, filed a patent-infringement claim against Google and Microsoft in the Eastern District of Texas. The company claims that Google’s AdWords and Microsoft’s AdCenter advertising services violate its “Paid Search Engine Bid Management” patent.
The patent, U.S. Patent No. […]
Feb
16
$501.3M for Boston Scientific
Posted by Dirk Avery at 7:49 am under Litigation, Patent.
Perhaps the company should consider becoming a 501(c)(3)…
A federal judge added $69.4 million in pre-judgment interest to the $431.9 million a jury ordered Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX) to pay for infringing on a radiologist’s patent on drug-eluting coronary stents…
Stents are tiny scaffolds used to prop open arteries clogged by heart disease. Sales of drug-coated stents […]
Feb
14
Patent updates
Posted by Dirk Avery at 10:05 am under Litigation, Patent.
Patent Reform update:
Negotiators looking to revamp America’s patent system say they have begun to find common purpose, but as a recent dust-up between two big players in the debate illustrates, a final agreement remains elusive.
Mid-litigation immunity?
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) has sponsored an unusual provision at the urging of the nation’s banks granting them immunity against […]