Things aren't looking good for Research in Motion, the BlackBerry maker whose glory days seem to be firmly situated in the past. Alexander Poltorak was among the IP experts interviewed for an article speculating on RIM's options for saving itself - such as possible patent sales to Facebook or Google. ("Who could - and probably should - buy RIM?" ZDNet.com - June 29, 2012)
Article excerpt:
Quarter Century Creating Wealth from the Wealth of Ideas®
Suffern, N.Y., June 28, 2012 − Inventors' and patent owners' most steadfast ally in the fight for their rights, General Patent Corporation (GPC), a premier patent licensing and enforcement firm, turned 25 years old this month.
GPC's Alexander Poltorak was quoted in an article about how Nokia might use its patent portfolio to stay afloat. ("Nokia's Mobile Patents Are Its Last Line of Defense" Technology Review - June 20, 2012)
InterDigital just sold 1,700 patents and patent applications to Intel in one of the latest big patent sales. Alexander Poltorak was interviewed for an article about what these patent sales mean for the tech giants that turn to patent sales to stay solvent. ("Intel's InterDigital Deal Raises Patent Value Questions" TheStreet.com - June 18, 2012)
June 18, 2012 - A former client, Axcess International Inc., filed a malpractice action against Baker Botts LLP alleging negligence, gross negligence and breach of fiduciary duty.
Gucci won a trademark infringement lawsuit against Guess? Inc., but the payout was much smaller than Gucci anticipated. Gucci America, Inc v. Guess?, Inc.
(SDNY 2012)
The basis of the suit: Gucci accused Guess of infringing five of its trademarks as embodied in some of the ugliest shoes ever to walk the earth. (You can view them here...if you dare.)
June 14, 2012 - California District Judge Lucy Koh denied Apple's motion for an injunction on Samsung's Galaxy S III smartphone, which will be released next week in the U.S.
Apple claimed the Galaxy S III should be added to its complaint against the Galaxy Nexus device because the new phone "contains two of the exact infrigning features already at issue."
June 11, 2012 - Cathas Advanced Technologies of Shaker Heights, Ohio filed a patent lawsuit against Amazon.com, LinkedIn and Living Social, alleging infringement of a patent on matching branded web content with customer profile records and generating a link to a "subscribing supplier system."
Cathas claims the companies are infringing the patent by offering gift certificates to their site visitors.
A case before the U.S. Supreme Court might just take the "first sale" doctrine of copyright law into murky waters. And it all hinges on where the product in question was made - and where it was intended to be sold.
The Supreme Court case is based on a few precedential cases, one of them being John Wiley & Sons v. Kirtsaeng.
June 8, 2012 - U.S. District Judge Richard Posner tentatively dismissed a patent infringement case between Apple and Motorola Mobility, which is now owned by Google.
Judge Posner said he decided to dismiss the lawsuits because neither company presented enough evidence to make a case for damages and because imposing injunctions on either party would be contrary to the public interest.
June 8, 2012 - Angie's List, the website known for its reviews of various types of service companies and home contractors, filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against its competitor ServiceMagic Inc.
Angie's List alleges trademark infringement and unfair competition related to ServiceMagic's use of sponsored links and keywords purchased from Google for use in advertisements.
June 4, 2012 - Since Scott Thompson stepped down as Yahoo's CEO, talks between Yahoo and Facebook have taken on a more conciliatory tone. The All Things D website reports that, according to inside sources, executives at Facebook and Yahoo are close to making a deal that would end their patent infringement lawsuit.