Top IP law and attorney firms announced; no Chinese anti-trust probe of Ericsson – yet; Facebook seals patent deal with IV; Microsoft’s portfolio swings to AI and the cloud; plus much more
The inaugural Global IP Awards in London attracted huge attention this week – and we named all the winners on Wednesday. There was also news of potential trouble for Ericsson in China and we took a deep dive into Microsoft’s rapidly evolving patent portfolio. Of course, there was a whole lot more on top over the last seven days on the IAM platform. Here are all the stories we covered ...
MONDAY 28th January
Recent assignments show Samsung Electronics transferring US patent rights to Nokia, TiVo and Philips against the backdrop of licence deals and strategic business partnerships. Read more here
As fears grow over subject-matter eligibility and convergence threatens to reshape the competitive landscape, patent strategy has become even more crucial for US medical device companies. Read more here
Apple, Canon, Dolby, Ericsson and InterDigital are among early backers of an attempt to change the licensing dynamic for the VVC standard. Read more here
TUESDAY 29th January
Quality, not quantity is Foxconn’s new mantra, so it’s no surprise its patent applications in Taiwan fell by half in 2018 and it marked a second year outside the USPTO’s top 50 grant recipients. Read more here
A deep dive into Microsoft’s patent portfolio shows that it is developing particular strength in the cloud and AI, though overall quality may be falling. Read more here
Facebook turns to Intellectual Ventures in latest patent move and it’s a deal that shows interest in the giant NPE’s portfolio remains high. Read more here
WEDNESDAY 30th January
The names of the law and attorney firm recipients of the inaugural Global IP Awards for excellence in litigation, prosecution and transactional work were announced in London on Tuesday. Read more here
THURSDAY 31st January
It could be patent wars 2.0 after Samsung Electronics’ purchase of Corephotonics, an Israeli startup that is taking on Apple in Judge Lucy Koh’s Northern District of California courtroom. Read more here
US life sciences innovators stand accused of using patents to build monopolies and overcharge for vital medicines. If they do not tell their side of the story, they risk losing vital protections. Read more here
A Delaware lawsuit filed by Excalibur IP against Spotify is the first move to litigate patents previously owned by Yahoo! since a former RPX dealmaker took control of the portfolio. Read more here
FRIDAY 1st February
Following reports in the Chinese media that an anti-trust investigation of its licensing practices is underway, Ericsson has stated that it has not been informed of any such probe. Read more here
SPC disputes, second medical use patents, UPC strategies and CRISPR were among the subjects discussed at IAM’s third pharma and biotech IP conference, which took place on 28th January. Read more here
Although Ford faces going to court over alleged infringement of MIT-owned rights, an oft-predicted surge in auto-related patent litigation in the US has failed to materialise. Read more here
SATURDAY 2nd February
Increased R&D outsourcing and patent licensing account for pharma’s diminishing representation among the world’s top 100 innovators; while technological diversification is also playing a part. Read more here