Patents in the News

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Patents in the News is a new feature on Patent Progress which will share stories about (you guessed it) patents in the news.  If you have any tips, you can always mention us on Twitter (@PatentProgress), or email us: patentprogress[AT]ccianet[DOT]org

Why East Texas courts are back on “top” for patent lawsuits (Ars Technica)

US federal courts are divided into 94 districts and when patent-holders file a lawsuit against a product that’s sold nationwide they have pretty wide leeway as to where to file their case. That’s allowed for quite a bit of “venue shopping” in patent cases, and several years ago the remote and rural Eastern District of Texas started to become surprisingly popular.

Mandatory patent licensing may hamper innovation, DOJ official says (MLex)

Mandating companies to license patents may deter innovation in the long-run, a U.S. Justice Department official said. While there may be short-term benefits in demanding a patent be licensed, the official said a company deciding not to offer its intellectual property did not usually raise problems.

President signs AIA technical amendment (Bloomberg BNA)

President Obama signed into law Jan. 14 a bill, H.R. 6621, that mostly makes technical corrections to the 2011 patent reform bill, the America Invents Act. The bill fills in some gaps in the AIA and clarifies some items that were not particularly controversial. It goes beyond the AIA only in the area of patent term adjustments, and the change there is small.

Apple and Samsung add array of devices to patent lawsuit (SlashGear)

It has been a while since we last heard about the patent war between Apple and Samsung, but that doesn’t mean the two companies haven’t been busy going at each other. Earlier today, it was ruled that both companies can introduce new gadgets into their ongoing lawsuit, including the iPhone 5 and Galaxy Note II. Both sides claim the other’s gadgets infringe on its patents.

The patent debate could get a big, new stage (Washington Post)

The Smithsonian is partnering with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) to develop the programs and exhibits that will be featured in the Innovation Pavilion. Prior to the re-opening, the Patent Office will host an Innovation Expo in June to feature patented technologies. The three-day event will, according to a Smithsonian release, “feature a narrative about how the U.S. patent system promotes innovation and technological development.”

Ali Sternburg

Ali Sternburg

Ali Sternburg is Senior Policy Counsel at the Computer & Communications Industry Association. After initially joining as a Legal Fellow in June 2011, she focuses on online copyright issues and other areas of intellectual property policy. She also works on DisCo (the Disruptive Competition Project). She received her J.D. in 2012 from American University Washington College of Law, where she was a Student Attorney in the Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Law Clinic, President of the Intellectual Property Law Society, Senior Symposium Chair and Senior Marketing Manager for the Intellectual Property Brief, and a Dean’s Fellow at the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property. She graduated from Harvard College in 2009 where she studied Government and Music, wrote her senior honors thesis on “Theoretical and Legal Views on U.S. Government Involvement in Musical Creativity Online,” and interned at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School.