Patents
Thomson Reuters publishes list of top global innovators
November 16, 2011 8:03 am | by R&D Editors | News | CommentsThe 100 top innovators have been ranked this week by the Thomson Reuters’ intellectual property (IP) consulting arm. The U.S. continues to lead this list with a large share of innovators, and Asia and Europe place second and third, respectively. However, China is not yet ranked because of its practices regarding protecting IP and commercializing products globally.
Can Kodak rescue itself via a patent bonanza?
October 31, 2011 7:58 am | by Ben Dobbin, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsPatents have become highly valuable to digital device makers who want to protect themselves from intellectual property lawsuits, and Kodak, which is facing the worst crisis of its 131-year history, is banking on this trend to save itself from ruin.
Will Steve Jobs' final vendetta haunt Google?
October 25, 2011 5:24 am | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsAmong the many revelations from Walter Isaacson’s biography of Apple’s co-founder is the anger Jobs had toward Google, which he claimed stole technology and features from Apple for its Android software. His comments suggest Google, which has been acquiring patents to shore up its legal claims, may face vigorous court battles with Apple.
Crocus and IBM sign tech development and patent agreements
October 7, 2011 1:44 pm | News | CommentsA new set of agreements between magnetic memory developer Crocus and IBM will provide mutual access to patents that will enable the companies to collaborate and integrate magnetic technology into semiconductor products.
Non-compete agreements create ‘career detours’
October 5, 2011 1:55 pm | by Peter Dizikes, MIT News Office | News | CommentsTechnology firms frequently require workers to sign non-compete agreements, which typically bar their employees from joining rival companies for one to two years. A new study of more than 1,000 engineers, conducted by an MIT professor, shows that these agreements come with a high cost for employees.
Obama signs patent reform legislation
September 16, 2011 11:12 am | by Darlene Superville, Associated Press | News | CommentsPresident Barack Obama signed into law Friday a major overhaul of the U.S. patent system, a measure designed to ease the way for inventors to bring their products to market. Passed in a rare display of congressional bipartisanship, the America Invents Act is the first significant change in patent law since 1952. It has been hailed as a milestone that would spur innovation and create jobs.
Ziptronix, Sony sign licensing agreement
September 6, 2011 5:25 am | News | CommentsZiptronix Inc. has signed a licensing agreement with Sony Corporation for the use of Ziptronix's patents regarding oxide bonding technology for backside illumination imaging sensors.
Federal court upholds patenting on human genes
August 3, 2011 5:24 am | by Marley Seaman, AP Health Writer | News | CommentsA federal court said Friday that human genes can be patented, reversing a lower court's ruling that involved a test for breast cancer but which could have had big implications for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
Google buys about 1,000 IBM patents
August 1, 2011 12:32 pm | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsAfter losing out to a consortium of technology companies during bidding for thousands of patents from the bankrupt Nortel, Google has bolstered its war chest with a collection of patents from IBM, one of the industry’s leading generators of intellectual property. The move has less to do with innovation than it does an effort to defend against lawsuits from other tech companies.
Drug prices to plummet in wave of expiring patents
July 25, 2011 5:00 am | by Linda A. Johnson, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsThe next 14 months will bring generic versions of seven of the world's 20 best-selling drugs, including the top two: cholesterol fighter Lipitor and blood thinner Plavix. Generic competition will decimate sales of the brand-name drugs and cut costs to patients and companies that provide health benefits.
Space shuttle's science brought payoffs to Earth
July 19, 2011 7:14 am | by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsNASA often gets criticized for not living up to the hype when it comes to generating everyday technologies. Tang, to take the oft-cited example, was used by NASA, but not invented by the Apollo program. But defenders point to evidence that Space Shuttle program has prompted innovation that could have occurred in no other way.
Judges approve $4.5B Nortel patents sale
July 11, 2011 12:54 pm | by Randall Chase, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsA consortium that includes a veritable who’s-who of telecommunications and software giants have successfully placed their $4.5 billion cash bid for thousands of patents held by bankrupt telecom-equipment maker Nortel Networks Corp. The patents cover technologies that include data networking, semiconductors and 4G wireless systems. Nortel won three R&D 100 Awards for its products in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Ruling awaited in Kodak patent battle with Apple
June 23, 2011 7:41 am | by Ben Dobbin, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsThe U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington is expected to issue a ruling Thursday on Kodak's complaint that its 2001 image-preview patent was infringed by iPhone behemoth Apple Inc., of Cupertino, California, and Research in Motion, maker of the BlackBerry. The embattled company is hoping to negotiate a licensing deal for the technology worth $1 billion.
In making innovation happen, does place matter?
May 20, 2011 1:01 pm | News | CommentsDo scientists' job locations have any impact on the way their work spreads? According to a study co-authored by an MIT economist, yes, it does, even in the Internet age. Frequent job and location switches, for example, can increase citation frequency for published works. But what happens with patents is entirely different.
Chinese tech giants fight over 4G phones
May 5, 2011 10:01 am | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsA patent battle between two technology heavyweights, Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corp., has entered court as they try to stake their territory in the European mobile phone market. The dispute centers on alleged patent infringement by ZTE on Huawei’s fourth-generation mobile technology. At stake are billions of dollars in future sales.
IBM, Samsung sign patent cross-license deal
February 8, 2011 3:47 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsIBM and Samsung Electronics Co. announced this week they have signed a patent cross-license agreement, which means each will license its respective patent portfolios to the other. In 2010, IBM was the top producer of new patents in the U.S., while South Korea's Samsung was also among the top 10.
Rush for patents is choking U.S. stem cell research
February 1, 2011 6:59 am | by Kerry Sheridan (AFP) | News | CommentsCures for paralysis, blindness and diabetes could all be in reach with embryonic stem cell research, but the pursuit of medical progress is being choked by the U.S. rush to secure patents, experts say.
Records broken in patent totals for 2010
January 10, 2011 12:26 pm | News | Comments2010 patent grants hit an all-time high, 31% over 2009. Once again, IBM tops the list as the first company to break 5,000 patents in a single year, and it did so handily. Other notable filers include Apple, Qualcomm, NEC, and SAP, all of which saw 70+% gains in patents this year.
How Patent Vulnerability Impacts Valuation
February 8, 2010 9:28 am | by David Wanetick | Application NotesPatent valuation is one of the trickiest tasks a company can face, according to patent law expert David Wanetick with The Business Development Academy, who has written a primer on how valuation—and vulnerability—can affected by many factors.
Another Tool in the Toolbox
September 29, 2009 9:18 am | by Larisa Brass, Oak Ridge National Laboratory | Articles | CommentsPrivate funding for technology maturation will help enable better commercialization of governmental scientific research. However compelling the technology, a gap often exists between government-funded research and its transfer to the marketplace. As a research project nears completion, federal dollars often dry up before an invention has progressed enough to spin out as a commercial product. Enter technology maturation funds, the means by which many promising technologies make needed advances toward becoming commercial products.
Protecting Your Intellectual Property
April 14, 2004 11:09 am | Articles | CommentsIssues surrounding a research organization's IP have changed with the timessecurity and protection have become more difficult as industries have evolved from primarily manufacturing to knowledge-based economies.
