Over the last decade, patent trolls have become a prominent intellectual property (IP) issue. Patent trolls are companies that exploit IP as tools for litigation instead of innovation, using purchased patents to threaten other companies to enter into a licensing deal or face a patent infringement lawsuit. Companies targeted by patent trolls can face huge […]
I’m increasingly inclined to think that there should be some regulatory oversight, maybe at the national and international level, just to make sure that we don’t do something very foolish. I mean with artificial intelligence we’re summoning the demon. – Elon Musk In light of the quote above, the thought of demonic robot trolls may […]
In 2017, Canada won the dispute against the US-based pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly in investor-state arbitration (ISA). Foreign investors can sue sovereign governments in ISA in case of mistreatment, such as, for example, expropriation, a violation of fair and equitable treatment and discrimination. To succeed in its claim, the investor should show that the state […]
Yes, it is apparently possible – Elsevier just did it. Elsevier is one of the largest science and medical publishers in the world. Prestigious journals, such as Cell and The Lancet, are amongst its products. Over the years, it has been the subject of a number of criticisms, including its pricing regime (see here, here […]
As reported on Kotaku.com – "British Telecommunications, a multinational mega-conglomerate with origins dating back to the 1800s, is suing Valve, a video game company that can't count to three". British Telecommunications (BT) alleges that on-line services offered by Valve infringe on four U.S. patents held by BT. The patents at trial are broadly worded and could implicate […]
“To live is to war with trolls,” said Henrik Ibsen. Well, Apple Inc (“Apple”) has recently reached an impasse in its war against patent holding firm or "patent troll" Lodsys, LLC.
On July 13, 2013, the New York Times published an article on Erich Spangenberg's business enterprise, IPNav, which is considered to be one of the largest Patent Assertion Entities (“P.A.E.s”) in the world. Analyzing the business model of P.A.E.s is important to understanding the legal limits of these entities.
Is a podcast analogous to a cassette tape recording of a magazine article? Jim Logan of Personal Audio thinks that it is, and that it thereby infringes his patent.
In an effort to draw a line in the sand in the smartphone market, an “innocent bystander” has been caught in the legal crossfire. Following a successful sales ban of the Xbox 360 in Germany, Motorola set its sights on the gaming console’s home turf, and currently, things are not looking good for Microsoft in […]
Chetan Tiwari is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School and is enrolled in Professor Mgbeoji’s Patents class in Fall 2011. As part of the course requirements, students are asked to write a blog on a topic of their choice. I believe that one quote concisely delineates the behaviour of patent trolling: Amongst a […]