Tag: small business
Innovation Is Alive And Well—Startups and Venture Capital
Innovation can come from anywhere—large established companies, individuals, and of course, small startup businesses. The innovation from startups can ultimately create new established companies. �...
IPR Successes: Scan-To-Email Defeated By Scanner Makers
In the pantheon of infamous patent trolls, MPHJ is near the top. MPHJ drew attention for their habit of mailing demand letters to anyone they thought might possibly have infringed their scan-to-emai...
IPR Successes: Realtors Association Defends Its Members Using IPR
When you buy a house, it’s nice to know where the local schools are, where the closest park is, where a nearby grocery is. So realtors commonly embed tools on their websites to show you a map of t...
TC Heartland Attacks The Heart Of Patent Forum Shopping
The Supreme Court decided TC Heartland v. Kraft on Monday. The decision addresses a procedural point with huge effects on patent litigation.
The Problem
The basic problem before this case was tha...
“Efficient Infringement” Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means
Patent reform opponents have found a new pet argument to push: something called “efficient infringement.” They’re using “efficient infringement” to mean that companies will find that it’s ...
Vermont Targets A Bottom-Feeding Patent Troll, But It Can’t Do The Job Alone
There should be a rule of thumb for patent trolls: don’t target the disabled. You ignore this rule at your peril. Notorious patent troll MPHJ did, and now it’s just been sued by the Vermont Attorn...
Startup DITTO Selling T-Shirts to Defend Against Patent Suit
EFF recently wrote about a startup called DITTO that sells eyewear online using a technology it developed to let people see how the glasses would look on them using a webcam. DITTO is being sued by 1-...
The End-Users Strike Back
As Josh Lamel noted the other day, end-users such as retailers, financial services, grocery stores, advertising, hotel industries, and even oil companies are coming out in droves to fight abusive pate...
Five Employees, Six Lawyers: The Problem with Software Patents
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 startu...