Patent

Is Obama's Patent Reform Hurting American Small Businesses

Daniel B. Ravicher | Posted 05.10.2012

Daniel B. Ravicher

While I would never -- and have never -- advocated for abolishing the patent system, because that would be throwing the baby out with the bath water, we do need to fix our patent system so that it rewards innovation, not manipulation.

The Patent Pollution Problem: Its Causes, Effects and Solutions

Daniel B. Ravicher | Posted 05.01.2012

Daniel B. Ravicher

it is critically important to the success of our patent system that it maintain high patent quality and ensures only deserving patents are issued. Unfortunately, the American patent system today is suffering from extremely low patent quality.

Could State Transportation Agencies Accused of Patent Infringement Use Constitution as Defense?

Daniel B. Ravicher | Posted 04.18.2012

Daniel B. Ravicher

There has been much reporting lately of a small patent holding company named Arrivalstar accusing public transit authorities of patent infringement if they provide commuters with real time information about train, bus or subway schedules.

Patent Trolls Are Killing People -- Literally

Drew Curtis | Posted 04.17.2012

Drew Curtis

I've recently talked with several folks in the high-tech industry who informed me that part of the reason large companies have been stocking up on patents lately is because they view them like nuclear weapons -- they're a deterrent.

From Idea to Patent: Inventing Blinx and Replacing the Traditional Paper Business Cards

Women 2.0 | Posted 04.06.2012

Women 2.0

Sometimes you end up with a product that you weren't setting out to create for the masses.

Number of Women Patent Holders Surge

Karin Kamp | Posted 05.01.2012

Karin Kamp

While talk of patents and trademarks may not be the sexiest topic out there, knowing the ins and outs of both is key for women business-owners.

The Patent Condundrum -- For Startups

Steve Rosenbaum | Posted 04.27.2012

Steve Rosenbaum

Within the startup world, patents are seen as anti-competitive force that stifles innovation. We're in a place where we need to walk a tightrope between the world of predatory patent prosecution and the need to promote one's invention with current patent law.

After Generics Enter Market, World's Top Selling Drug Sees Sales Plunge

AP | By LINDA A. JOHNSON | Posted 12.20.2011

TRENTON, N.J. -- Sales of cholesterol blockbuster Lipitor plunged by half barely a week after the world's top-selling drug got its first U.S. generic ...

Another Day, Another Patent Troll

Brad Feld | Posted 01.07.2012

Brad Feld

These days I'm regularly exposed to patent trolls. Sometimes I read about them, sometimes friends email me about them, and sometimes companies I'm an investor in gets sued by them.

Google Buys Rat Poison

Jeff Jarvis | Posted 10.15.2011

Jeff Jarvis

The Google/Motorola deal is lawyer repellent. Or rat poison, if you prefer. It is a tragic and wasteful byproduct of our screwed-up patent system. Nevertheless, this is good for Google and Android and its ecosystem.

Patent-Infringement Lawsuit Against Fark Settled for Zero Dollars. Also, Patent Trolls Suck...

Drew Curtis | Posted 10.11.2011

Drew Curtis

A lot of you were already aware that Fark was sued by a patent troll back in January. But now it's over and I want to tell everyone what really happened: we didn't pay them a single dime.

Supreme Court Signals Pending Patent Reform Is Unconstitutional

Daniel B. Ravicher | Posted 08.09.2011

Daniel B. Ravicher

Under a "first to file" system, individual and independent small inventors don't stand a chance of winning the race to the patent office against large corporations.

Facebook for Patents

John Bridgeland | Posted 07.06.2011

John Bridgeland

Social media is literally helping fuel revolutions for democracy, so why not a revolution in the system that protects that mainstay of democracy -- invention.

Banks Still Acting Badly

Pat Choate | Posted 06.13.2011

Pat Choate

The big banks are still mugging America. They do so because they can, and they can because they pour tens of millions of dollars into our Presidentia...

HIV Drug to Be Distributed Worldwide

Daniel B. Ravicher | Posted 05.25.2011

Daniel B. Ravicher

India has rejected a bogus attempt to patent a critical HIV drug.

My Tax Dollars Pay for This? U.S. Commerce Secretary Threatens India as Favor to Special Interest

Daniel B. Ravicher | Posted 05.25.2011

Daniel B. Ravicher

How would you feel if a Chinese diplomat attempted to exert influence over an American court case involving a Chinese company's bogus attempt to shut ...

Cashing in on IP

Robert F. Brands | Posted 05.25.2011

Robert F. Brands

Smart organizations are realizing that IP exploitation is an enabler. It empowers companies to transform often idle holdings into a significant source of income generation.

Kudlow Kowtows to Corporate Interest, Abandons Conservative Principles

Daniel B. Ravicher | Posted 05.25.2011

Daniel B. Ravicher

Nothing annoys me more than supposed conservatives in the media advocating for enhanced government intervention. Case in point -- Larry Kudlow.

BP Files Patent to Produce Oil From Seawater

Bill Allen | Posted 05.25.2011

Bill Allen

Industry analysts now speculate that the so-called oil "spill" has actually been the first full field-test of the new BP process that could revolutionize deep-water drilling.

Gene Patent Decision Emancipates Personalized Medicine

Daniel B. Ravicher | Posted 05.25.2011

Daniel B. Ravicher

Right now, 20 percent of all human genes are patented.

Don't Protect Patent Lying

Daniel B. Ravicher | Posted 05.25.2011

Daniel B. Ravicher

There is no rational explanation for Senators Leahy, Sessions, Schumer, Hatch, Kyl and Kaufman's sudden rush to overturn a 150-year-old law that protects citizens against companies making false claims.

Patent Theft as a Business Strategy

Pat Choate | Posted 05.25.2011

Pat Choate

What makes patent theft so attractive is that infringement is not a criminal act and those found guilty face no jail time. Paying up is the worst that can happen to the infringer.

Is Steve Jobs 'Offended' By HTC? New Theories Behind The Lawsuit

Fortune | Philip Elmer-DeWitt | Posted 05.25.2011

A new theory about why Apple decided to take HTC -- and indirectly, Google -- to court...

Finger-Swipe Camera Patent For iPhone And iPad

Patentlyapple.com | Posted 05.25.2011

On Feb 25, 2010, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals one of the next chapters for Apple's iPhone. ...

Cloudy With a Chance of Allergies or Autism?

Robyn O'Brien | Posted 11.17.2011

Robyn O'Brien

There are 26,000 food poisoning cases per 100,000 Americans, every year (an eye-popping 26% of the population). Compare that to only 3,400 cases in the UK, or 1,200 in France.