Apple’s patent buying spree; UCal CRISPR patent joy; PepsiCo’s India brand backlash; IP Hall of Fame inductees announced; patent boost for EVs in China; plus 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 29th April
Singapore’s patent office is touting a six-month turnaround for applications relating to AI in a bid to spur local and overseas filings. Read more here
A look at the USPTO assignments database reveals that Apple went on a major patent-buying spree ahead of its litigation with Qualcomm. Read more here
TUESDAY 30th April
China is slashing subsidies for electric vehicle purchases, setting up a reckoning for domestic companies in a very competitive market. Technology and patents will be the key to survival. Read more here
Despite doubts, the University of California has been awarded fundamental US patent rights to CRISPR technology. But validity challenges could be on the way, experts say. Read more here
After success against Comcast with an earlier action at the ITC, TiVo is once more seeking an exclusion order as it looks to hurt its rival’s cable platform. Read more here
WEDNESDAY 1st May
This year’s inductees into the IP Hall of Fame have been announced. They are actress, inventor and patentee Hedy Lamarr, CAFC judge Kathleen O’Malley and distinguished academic Jeffrey Samuels. Read more here
THURSDAY 2nd May
Two battery makers are squaring off in a Delaware trade secrets dispute in a rare US court battle between two affiliates of South Korea’s dominant chaebols. Read more here
PepsiCo faces a major brand backlash in India after launching a suit against farmers it accused of infringing rights protecting the potato type used to make Lay's crisps. Read more here
News that five more Volkswagen brands have signed up to the Avanci IoT patent platform underlines strengths of a pooled approach in providing transparency and certainty to SEP licensing. Read more here
FRIDAY 3rd May
Tencent is touting its patent portfolio and making comparisons to licensing partner Google as it shifts its focus from consumers to enterprises. Read more here
The DoJ’s antitrust division has raised concerns that an “overly broad remedy” in the Northern California case the FTC has brought against Qualcomm could harm 5G competition. Read more here
SATURDAY 4th May
To help defeat the Nazis, actress Hedy Lamarr developed and patented a secret communications system that would later serve as the basis for WiFi. But it took 20 years to be recognised. Read more here