iPhone app iPad app Android phone app Android tablet app

Patents

Angelina Jolie, Doctors, Patenting Genes, and You

Robert Klitzman, M.D. | Posted 05.20.2013 | Healthy Living
Robert Klitzman, M.D.

Angelina Jolie's openness about her decision to undergo mastectomies because of the BRCA1 mutation can help inspire countless women to face this difficult decision. Yet several obstacles exist that deserve attention, concerning doctors and costs of testing.

Patent Pools: Are Consumers Paying for Nothing?

Steve Pociask | Posted 05.15.2013 | Technology
Steve Pociask

No one wants to pay for free stuff, and why should they? However, when you buy a television, DVD player or a number of other tech devices, you may be paying more than you should. Here is a story about how consumers are quietly getting ripped off.

A 21st Century Agenda for the New FTC Chair

Edward J. Black | Posted 04.15.2013 | Technology
Edward J. Black

While we live in an era of skepticism about government and its institutions, it is important to note the important work undertaken by the Federal Trade Commission, an underappreciated regulatory body that safeguards both competition and consumers.

Indian Drug Ruling Strikes a Blow for Free Enterprise

Dean Baker | Posted 04.08.2013 | Business
Dean Baker

The costs of protectionism can be large, as economists frequently point out when discussing 20 percent tariffs in steel. For some reason they become strangely silent when it comes to patent protection that raise the price of drugs by 1,000 percent.

The Economics of Cancer: Learning From India About Innovation

Matthew Kavanagh | Posted 04.08.2013 | Healthy Living
Matthew Kavanagh

But what if you want to incentivize investment in bold new drugs instead of me-too drugs? What if you want to encourage research into new areas that tangibly improve people's health? Then maybe, like India, you would only grant patents when that higher standard is met.

Patenting Death

Randall Amster | Posted 05.15.2013 | Green
Randall Amster

It increasingly appears that Monsanto is patenting death, perhaps even more so than life. Their patent rights should not trump the rights of people to procure safe, healthy, living foods.

New Business Alternatives for Obama's Climate Change Program

Amy Larkin | Posted 04.27.2013 | Green
Amy Larkin

Many iconic American corporations have invested billions of dollars and hired many of the world's best scientists to work on renewable energy breakthroughs. But these scientists are sworn to secrecy in order to protect their companies' investments.

Clear Thinking on Software Patents

Robert Holleyman | Posted 04.24.2013 | Technology
Robert Holleyman

In the vigorous, ongoing debate about the state of America's patent system -- and the state of software patents, in particular -- there are some legitimate issues that call for practical solutions, and there is a great deal of peripheral noise.

Keeping the American Dream in America

David Troy | Posted 04.15.2013 | Impact
David Troy

Consumer-facing, peer-to-peer commerce start-ups are hot, but how many tie-sharing services does the country really need? (Yes, there is hot competition in this space.) Ideas like these are attractive because they are easy to act on quickly.

Zach Carter

Fed Economists Urge Radical Policy To Ditch Key Obama Reform, Patents

HuffingtonPost.com | Zach Carter | Posted 02.06.2013 | Politics

Two economists at the St. Louis Federal Reserve published a paper arguing to abolish the American patent system, saying there's "no evidence" patents ...

Multiple Federal Agencies Ponder Relationship of Aggressive Patent Enforcement and Anti-Competition

Christina Gagnier | Posted 04.06.2013 | Technology
Christina Gagnier

The issue of defensive patent enforcement is starting to move beyond consumer technology products.

Will The FTC's Google Decision Ignite A Patent War?

Reuters | Andrew Longstreth | Posted 03.08.2013 | Technology

(Corrects identification of attorney Matthew Woods in final two paragraphs) By Andrew Longstreth NEW YORK, Jan 6 (Reute...

The FTC Google Settlement on Essential Patents Rewards Good Faith Bargaining, Deters Both Hold-Up and Hold-Out

David Balto | Posted 03.06.2013 | Technology
David Balto

In a unanimous vote, the Federal Trade Commission announced it has closed its investigation into Google's search practices, concluding that the evidence "does not support" an antitrust case. The FTC cannot stop here.

Agency Rejects Critical Apple Patent Used In Samsung Trial

Reuters | Posted 02.19.2013 | Technology

(Reuters) - The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected Apple Inc's 'pinch-to-zoom' patent in a preliminary ruling that Samsung Electronics Co L...

Netflix Hit With Patent Infringement Suit

Reuters | Posted 02.18.2013 | Technology

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Switzerland-based Kudelski SA, owner of interactive television pioneer OpenTV, sued Netflix Inc on Wednesday, alleging that ...

Kodak Patents Sell For $525 Million

AP | Posted 02.18.2013 | Business

ROCHESTER, New York (AP) — Eastman Kodak is selling its digital imaging patents for about $525 million, money the struggling photo pioneer says will...

Software Patents Have Become a Start-up Nightmare

Marty Zwilling | Posted 02.11.2013 | Small Business
Marty Zwilling

The USPTO has been overwhelmed by both the volume and the novelty of applications for software patents, and they can't maintain a qualified staff. Patents currently last 20 years, which is way too long in the software business.

Patent Licensing Schemes: Creating a Bad Holiday Bargain?

Christina Gagnier | Posted 02.10.2013 | Technology
Christina Gagnier

While consumers may be getting that desirable device this holiday season, consumers are also paying inflated prices resulting from abuse of market power by patent holders.

The Era Of The Patent Troll Has Arrived

Reuters | Sarah McBride | Posted 02.09.2013 | Technology

By Sarah McBride SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - For the first time, individuals and companies that do not themselves make anything - commonl...

Apple And Google Finally Work Together On Something: Eating Kodak

AP | Posted 02.09.2013 | Technology

NEW YORK (AP) — Apple and Google, bitter rivals in smartphone technology, have joined up to make a combined bid for a bundle of patents offered by p...

A DVR That Watches YOU?

The Huffington Post | Katherine Bindley | Posted 12.07.2012 | Technology

Watching television tends to be a private affair between you and those on the couch in your living room, but Verizon is looking to change that by crea...

Company That Is Not Apple Wants Samsung Products Banned, Too

Reuters | Posted 02.02.2013 | Technology

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish telecoms gear maker Ericsson has filed a request with the U.S. International Trade Commission to ban U.S. imports of pro...

Court To Decide If Companies Can Patent WHAT?

AP | By JESSE J. HOLLAND | Posted 02.01.2013 | Technology

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court announced Friday it will decide whether companies can patent human genes, a decision that could reshape medical ...

As If Samsung Needs Another Company Suing It For Patent Infringement

AP | Posted 01.26.2013 | Technology

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish wireless equipment maker LM Ericsson has filed a lawsuit in the United States against Samsung Electronics Co. for infringin...

Patented By Apple

The Huffington Post | Jason Gilbert | Posted 11.08.2012 | Technology

The headline on technology site Gizmodo seemed to say it all: "Apple Finally Patents The Round-Cornered Rectangle." Yes, it's true: Apple has been ...