Blackberry patent sale revealed; Pfizer vaccine IP issues; PTAB reform gets key Senate backing; Pharma royalty deals boom; Big Tech on notice 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 9th November

Figures revealed by India’s IP authorities suggest that the number of pre-grant patent oppositions in the country is skyrocketing. Read more here

As the Pfizer/BioNTech covid-19 vaccine reaches a crucial milestone, we look at the potential IP barriers to its manufacture and distribution. Read more here

Former Nokia Technologies head Ramzi Haidamus is leaving Immersion after less than two years as its CEO with the NPE struggling to convince the market of its growth prospects. Read more here

TUESDAY 10th November

New rules for the Chinese internet sector call out long-standing Big Tech business practices in the country with regards to data, technology and IP ownership. Read more here

There has never been a better time to buy or sell drug royalties, says industry veteran in exclusive IAM interview. Read more here

Xperi's settlement of longstanding litigation with Comcast concludes one of the most brutal patent fights of recent years and may help the firm's plans to spin off its IP licensing operation. Read more here

WEDNESDAY 11th November

Blackberry is actively exploring options to sell its 38,000-asset strong patent portfolio and a possible deal has been on the table for most of this year. Read more here

A US trade secrets dispute between two Korean companies is set to become political fodder in Georgia's crucial Senate run-off election. Read more here

THURSDAY 12th November

A deep-dive into Lenovo’s inventorship data for its diversity and inclusion programme will help bolster the quality of the company's patent portfolio, says IP head John Mulgrew. Read more here

Australia’s recent Merck SDC v Wyeth judgment underscores the significance of changes to the country’s Patents Act. Read more here

A recent CAFC decision has established a stricter set of criteria for determining proper venue in patent infringement lawsuits under the Hatch-Waxman Act. Read more here

It's harder work for patent brokers these days, but some are forecasting their best year since the time of the Nortel auction thanks to a changing monetisation market. Read more here

FRIDAY 13th November

The first major patent case between Chinese smartphone makers comes to an end with Coolpad having failed to land a blow against Xiaomi. Read more here

The doctrine of patent exhaustion comes to Australia for the first time following a High Court judgment in a much-watched case. Read more here

To stay ahead of the curve in the increasingly competitive and commoditised patent research and analytics market, providers may have to look outside of IP for customers. Read more here

Senate IP sub-committee chair Thom Tillis has thrown his support behind a series of PTAB reforms introduced by USPTO Director Andrei Iancu. Read more here

SATURDAY 14th November

The EPO’s decision to mandate opposition proceedings via video conference will increase transparency but could have several unintended – and potentially troublesome – consequences. Read more here

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