October 2011

Delaware: Not Just for Incorporation Anymore

Submitted by patentadmin on Mon, 10/31/2011 - 23:43

The anti-joinder provision of the America Invents Act - about which we've written in a recent blog entry and a Patent Infringement News story - is expected to have a chilling effect on litigation brought by so-called "patent trolls." That's because instead of suing several defendants at once, patent owners must file a separate lawsuit for each individual infringer.

e-Dirty Laundry

Submitted by patentadmin on Thu, 10/27/2011 - 11:27

Attorney-client privilege can only go so far to protect you against the airing of potentially damaging communications in court. That's what Google learned this month when a judge allowed Oracle to use a Google engineer's unsent email message as evidence in their patent infringement lawsuit, which began with Oracle suing Google in August 2010 for allegedly infringing its patents on the Java programming language in the Android mobile operating system.

TechNewsWorld.com - "ITC Ruling Pushes HTC Onto Thin Ice in Apple Patent Brawl"

An International Trade Commission judge ruled that Apple did not infringe four of HTC's patents, and GPC's Alexander Poltorak says the similarity between the laws in the ITC and U.S. federal court mean that the ITC ruling may have a profound impact on the two companies' litigation ("ITC Ruling Pushes HTC Onto Thin Ice in Apple Patent Brawl", TechNewsWorld.com, October 18, 2011).

Kodak Licenses Patents to IMAX; Sued by Fujifilm for Patent Infringement

Submitted by patentadmin on Tue, 10/18/2011 - 10:30

October 17, 2011 - Eastman Kodak Company announced that it licensed about 100 patents related to laser projection to IMAX Corporation. The licensing deal, worth about $50 million in upfront fees and additional royalties, will help Kodak raise cash in an attempt to improve its financial condition.

ChannelNews - "Ouch Android: HTC Bruised, Apple Win AGAIN"

HTC lost its patent infringement lawsuit against Apple last week when an International Trade Commission judge ruled that Apple did not infringe four of HTC's patents. HTC plans to appeal the ruling, but patent experts - including GPC's Alex Poltorak - predict the ITC ruling will only make it more difficult to prevail against Apple in U.S. Federal court. ("Ouch Android: HTC Bruised, Apple Win AGAIN", ChannelNews.com.au, October 18, 2011)

Newegg Obtains Patent Invalidation in Patent Infringement Lawsuit Brought by Alcatel-Lucent

Submitted by patentadmin on Tue, 10/18/2011 - 00:22

October 17, 2011 - Lucent-Alcatel sued online retailers Newegg Inc. and Overstock.com, Inc. (O.co) for infringing three patents related to e-commerce functionalities that are used by almost every e-commerce website. However, Newegg and Overstock enjoyed unexpected success when a federal jury in the U.S.

Having Their Cake vs. Eating It Too

Submitted by patentadmin on Fri, 10/07/2011 - 13:49

On our Patent Infringement News page, we recently reported on a company called Innovatio IP Ventures, LLC which has filed several patent lawsuits against hotels and restaurants that provide free Wi-Fi for their customers. But as it turns out, Innovatio's patent enforcement campaign may fall victim to provisions in the America Invents Act (AIA).

Samsung Galaxy Tab Blocked from Australian Market by Apple Patents

Submitted by patentadmin on Wed, 10/05/2011 - 13:23

October 4, 2011 - In a new twist for the mobile electronics industry, Apple has refused to talk patent licensing with its competitor, Samsung - and will thus block the launch of Samsung's Galaxy Tab mobile computing device in Australia.

Samsung's Galaxy products have been found to infringe Apple's patents. Normally, that would mean that Samsung could take a license under the patents and continue to do business.