The top IAM blog stories so far in 2017

It’s summertime in the UK – kind of, anyway – and so things are slowing down at IAM for the next month. Some of us are heading off for a bit of R&R, while others are finally catching up on all those emails. If something big happens in the world of IP, you can be sure that we’ll cover it on here, but the blog will not be running at full steam as it does normally. We will still be Tweeting from the IAM account - @iam_magazine – and the normal full intelligence and analysis service will resume on Wednesday 30^th August. In the meantime, many thanks to all of our growing readership for your support and here are the stories that have got the biggest reads so far during 2017:

1. I possess the energy, experience and ability to make patents great again, says Rader in pitch for USPTO top job

2. IV pulls back from patent acquisition market to focus on monetising existing portfolio through sale and licence

3. IAM Exclusive: John Amster leaves RPX

4. Patent litigation falls dramatically in 2016 as NPEs shift their focus away from the richest companies

5. Apple's deal with a Korean NPE indicates the patents involved were of very high quality

6. The Battistelli era will soon be over at the EPO; perhaps the current EUIPO boss is being lined up to succeed him

7. The Oil States IPR case could be one of those rare instances where SCOTUS sides with the CAFC

8. Sharp asks California court to terminate licence with Hisense, saying Chinese partner is damaging its brand

9. White & Case and Fitch Even revealed as the top law firms at the PTAB, according to new research

10. The IP personalities of 2016, part one

11. The biggest Supreme Court decision from the latest term had nothing to do with Texas

12. Myhrvold takes more hands on role at IV following departure of three senior executives

13. Avanci and PanOptis come under auspices of single holding group; new platforms planned

14. Microsoft’s Azure IP Advantage programme puts Amazon’s AWS cloud offering under pressure like never before

15. Licensors must understand that what is FRAND in US and EU may not be in China, says Xiaomi IP strategy chief

16. Microsoft looks to leverage IP in cloud battle with Amazon and Google

17. Lee stands down as Director of the USPTO; the battle to succeed her will be long and potentially bloody

18. With the UPC just two ratifications away, the anti-EU press and politicians in the UK finally make it an issue

19. Just weeks after CEO exit, private equity interest in RPX mounts – and at a premium

20. Microsoft consolidates IP functions under Minhas after departure of licensing chief Psyhogeo