Standard essential patents (SEPs) are in the news today in a couple ways. First, the EU antitrust authorities fined Qualcomm $1.2 billion over conduct that involved locking Apple into an exclusive supplier arrangement in order to harm competing baseband chipset makers. The EU investigation isn’t the only place Qualcomm’s anti-competitive conduct is being challenged; they’ve…
Tag Archive for competition
Now The ITC Is Banning Products Over Invalid Patents
by Josh Landau •
Update: Dan Lang, who commented on this post below, has provided an expansion of the thoughts in his comment. His detailed comments can be found here. The International Trade Commission (ITC) is supposed to protect U.S. industries from unfair foreign competition. They’re supposed to consider the interests of the U.S. public. But recently, it seems…
Saying Doesn’t Make It So—Why You Still Shouldn’t Listen To Qualcomm
by Josh Landau •
Last week, CCIA filed a statement on the public interest in Qualcomm v. Apple at the International Trade Commission (ITC), Qualcomm’s newest attempt to use patent law to reinforce their monopoly power over the baseband processor market. In a response filed yesterday, Qualcomm accused CCIA of partaking in a “coordinated effort aimed at misdirecting the…
If Qualcomm Wins At The ITC, We All Lose
by Josh Landau •
This afternoon, CCIA filed comments on the public interest in the Qualcomm v. Apple case pending at the International Trade Commission (ITC). Qualcomm sued Apple in the ITC as part of the large dispute between the two companies. (The dispute continues to grow, having recently added a case in Germany and suits and counter-suits between…
Apple v. Qualcomm – Double Dipping and Breaking Promises
by Josh Landau •
Back in January, Patent Progress wrote about lawsuits filed against Qualcomm by the FTC and by Apple. Today, Apple filed an amended complaint against Qualcomm, based in part on new law resulting from the Supreme Court’s Lexmark decision on patent exhaustion. A High Water Lexmark In Patent Exhaustion The Lexmark case, while important, is actually…
Patent Troll Panel Important for Competition Policy
by David Balto •
CCIA is hosting an important event on Thursday, February 28th entitled “How Patent Trolls are Harming Innovation.” The event will take place in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, and will feature six prominent panelist offering different but harmonious opinions on the current state of the patent troll environment: Julie Samuels, Mark Cuban Chair to Eliminate Stupid…
When A Billion Dollars Is Not Enough: Apple’s Persistence in Enjoining its Competitors
by Brendan Coffman •
On Tuesday February 12, Apple’s “normal” appellate brief appeared on the Federal Circuit’s docket (I say “normal” because Apple took the unconventional step of originally asking for an immediate en banc review, which the Federal Circuit denied). All that is at stake is the future of meaningful competition in the mobile communications industry. A quick…
Ericsson and Unwired Planet: A One-Stop Shop for Outlining Patent Abuse
by Brendan Coffman •
Swedish telecommunications pioneer Ericsson is the latest in a line of big companies turning to patent assertion entities (PAEs) to make a quick buck at the expense of competition and innovation. As TechCrunch first reported, Ericsson entered into a Master Sale Agreement with Unwired Planet to sell 2,185 patents and patent applications. The transaction with Unwired Planet,…
Patent Expiration Doesn’t Prevent Green Mountain Coffee From Maintaining Its Buzz
by Ali Sternburg •
(Cross posted on Project DisCo) Keurig single-cup brewing systems, conspicuous contraptions found in offices and homes across America, are a convenient product for anyone who wants to make coffee a cup at a time, instead of a full pot. These machines require special individual filter cartridges holding coffee grounds or tea leaves. The innovative cartridges, known…
PAE’s Attempt to Manipulate Antitrust Laws Thwarted (for now?)
by Brendan Coffman •
In March of last year a noted Patent Assertion Entity (“PAE”), Cascades Computer Innovation, turned the concept of anticompetitive use of patents on its head by filing an antitrust suit against five Android manufacturers who rejected an offer to license 38 patents for $5 million. Cascades’ suit, filed in the Northern District of California against…