Huawei 5G confusion; five key licensing lessons; new draft reflects 101 reform challenge; Unicorns risk patent exposure; Canon’s changing portfolio analysed; and much more

Everything we covered on IAM over the last seven days – and all you need to know from the global IP market to set yourself up for the start of another busy week

MONDAY 19th August

Sony has been accused of infringing a US patent listing ‘pachinko king’ Kazuo Okada as inventor. Japan’s Universal Entertainment, which ousted Okada in 2017, could be poised to benefit. Read more here

A subscription model to cover patent procurement may well be the best way to make increased expenditure on securing portfolio-enhancing rights more palatable. Read more here

Opinion from New Hampshire Supreme Court hands victory to defendants accused of employing the term ‘patent troll’ as part of a “defamatory smear campaign” to destroy licensor. Read more here

TUESDAY 20th August

The US Department of Commerce has extended a temporary general licence allowing certain kinds of business to be done with Huawei. It will expire in mid-November. Read more here

In the 1990s, IBM made up to $2 billion a year from patent royalties - representing over 95% of the company's pure profit - by following basic principles that still hold true today. Read more here

Apple leads the way at the PTAB; but on one district court-litigation measure it is Samsung that stands out. Read more here

WEDNESDAY 21st August

The US Commerce Department extended Huawei’s temporary licence yesterday, but it dropped a provision that allowed technology sharing as part of 5G standards development. Read more here

In today’s post-crisis patent environment, successful licensors will need to embrace five new market realities. Read more here

Federal Circuit’s Contrave decision to uphold patent on weight loss treatment seems to create more flexible written description requirements. Read more here

THURSDAY 22nd August

Projector firm Appotronics touted its IP portfolio to raise money on China’s new tech board but is also dealing with the patent risks that come with a high-profile listing. Read more here

A billion-dollar valuation is all well and good, but many Unicorns risk being burned by having to pay-out big money to fend off patent infringement suits. Read more here

While the number of patent suits has fallen dramatically in the US, the number of rights being asserted has dropped by a much smaller margin. This could point to a new plaintiff approach. Read more here

FRIDAY 23rd August

Oppo, Xiaomi and Vivo are enabling cross-brand functionality similar to Apple’s AirDrop on their devices. But Huawei, China’s Android leader, is not taking part. Read more here

Analysis shows that Canon has cut down its patent filing activity and ramped up its abandonment rate, while there has been a recent litigation spike, too. Read more here

Sources IAM has spoken to talk of a lengthening 101 reform document that reflects the scale of the legislative task ahead, while concern remains that a Section 112 problem is in danger of emerging. Read more here

SATURDAY 24th August

In its day, the IPNav model was hugely successful in generating cash, but successful licensing in the here and now requires a different, less confrontational approach. Read more here

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