House Judiciary Comittee Hears the Need for Reform
2.18.07 •The Committee heard statements from Adam B. Jaffe, Professor and Dean at Brandeis University, Suzanne Michel, Chief IP Counsel at the FTC, Mark Myers of the National Academy of Science, and Daniel B. Ravicher, Director of PubPat.
Voda T.R.I.P.S. on Cordis
2.12.07 •In making its ruling, the CAFC emphasized the fact that the District Courts are courts of limited jurisdiction, and that ruling on foreign patent claims would tread not-so-lightly upon the toes of other sovereign nations. Despite the ruling, there were some interesting points made by Justice Newman in a dissenting opinion.
Blackboard…..Getting Erased?
2.5.07 •As reported elsewhere, the USPTO has recently granted a re-examination of the 44 claims contained in patent No. 6,988,138 B1 held by Blackboard Inc. This patent is for an e-learning software that allows for a separation of students and teachers, and creates a forum for online coursework and discussion. The request for the re-examination came from the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) on behalf of several open source companies that also produce e-learning software.
PUBPAT Fires a Photon Torpedo at WARF
1.28.07 •This past week, a victory was to be had in the name of science, namely stem cell research. PUBPAT, Daniel Ravicher’s organization that strongly advocates patent reform, and the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) to invalidate two of WARF’s patents.
Wiki-Patent Review?
1.22.07 •Wikipedia is widely regarded as an excellent online resource for those wishing to find information on just about anything or anyone. Granted, it is hardly a source that has the credibility to be used for a research paper, but the sheer breadth of information and the fact that it is fairly accurate most of the time means it is a good place to start to find out ’stuff.’
SCOTUS Decides MedImmune….Litigators Rejoice
1.14.07 •The Supreme Court recently announced its ruling in the MedImmune v. Genentech case, and in doing so has substantially altered the rules of engagement for patent licensing. Justice Antonin Scalia’s majority opinion overturned the circuit court’s ruling that the case or controversy requirement was not met.
Change in 2007?
1.8.07 •Could the U.S. Patent system undergo the changes and reforms for which the public has clamored this past year? It seems that reform gathered considerable steam in 2006 with various legislative proposals (most notably the Hatch-Leahy Bill and H.R. 5418). The fact that the Supreme Court heard multiple patent cases (KSR, eBay) is perhaps the most telling sign that patent law has become a larger issue and is perhaps ripe for change.
Happy Holidays, See You in the New Year
12.17.06 •Alas, dear readers, both the District Court and In the News blogs here at Tech LawForum will not be updated for the next couple weeks. My colleague Mr. Smith and I are taking a winter break after finishing up our exams, but we will return on January 8. Until then, have a happy holidays!