What do Seymour Cray’s high-performance computing research company SRC Labs and drug manufacturer Allergan have in common? Both SRC Labs and Allergan sold patents to the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, then licensed them back from the tribe, in order to use tribal sovereign immunity to prevent challenges to their patents as invalid.
Tag Archive for licensing
Saying Doesn’t Make It So—Why You Still Shouldn’t Listen To Qualcomm
by Josh Landau • • 2 Comments
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…
Universities and Patent Reform
by Matt Levy • • 0 Comments
Universities are strange when it comes to patent reform.
More on Why We Need Patent Reform: Patent Assertion Doesn’t Lead to Innovation
by Matt Levy • • 0 Comments
Mark Lemley and Robin Feldman have just put out a new paper that shows something many of us suspected: patent licenses tend to be for the freedom to operate, not for technology transfer. That is, in their survey, they found that the overwhelming majority of the time, companies took licenses in order to settle an…
Five Employees, Six Lawyers: The Problem with Software Patents
by Tim Sparapani • • 0 Comments
It’s the tech startup dream: coming up with a great idea, raising funding to make it a reality, gaining users, hiring a first, second, and third employee. Hiring just as many lawyers. When a startup has more attorneys than staff, something is wrong. But one startup founder, who chooses to remain anonymous, just hired his…
Ericsson and Unwired Planet: A One-Stop Shop for Outlining Patent Abuse
by Brendan Coffman • • 0 Comments
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 • • 2 Comments
(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 • • 0 Comments
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…
Patents in the News
by Ali Sternburg • • 0 Comments
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…
Intellectual Ventures’ Technology Speculation Is Not A Justification for Shell Companies
by Josh Lamel • • 1 Comment
During last week’s Department of Justice/Federal Trade Commission workshop on Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs), one of the panelists was Peter Detkin. Detkin is a founder of Intellectual Ventures, one of the PAEs we have been critical of on Patent Progress. In the run up to the workshop, Detkin authored a blog post attempting to issue…