It also drives home the trouble that large pharmaceutical companies are having inventing new medicines, even as their old moneymakers approach a time when they will no longer have patent protection.
But for now we have the patent system we have, and both Google and Samsung look like they might be in trouble.
Lodsys had written to a number of app developers over allegations of patent infringement, claiming to have a patent that covers in-app upgrades.
Some patent examiners have been at the patent office for decades, and have a vast storehouse of knowledge regarding what has previously been described in a printed publication (and thereby serves to block a patent grant).
Reading this piece, one might be lead to believe that patent applications are given scant review prior to the granting of a patent, and that it is then close to impossible to have a patent declared invalid by a court of law.
Since patents have become critical for survival of many companies, patent rights have become historically strong, patent litigation strategies are complex and sophisticated.
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But when they have a patent case to prosecute, they do the same thing.
In the past few weeks, a rash of medicines have lost patent protection through court decisions.
But the latter two have lost patent protection, and their sales are vanishing.
However, the battle may prove to be fruitless as both firms have the patent power to diffuse a negative verdict.
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Must be, otherwise no one could have a patent valid in 2012 for something that has been around since 1972.
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Large pharmaceutical pipelines have dried up and many of the blockbuster drugs have lost patent protection over the past couple of years.
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Three Japanese companies--Hitachi hit (nyse: hit - news - people), Toshiba and Oki Electric--have settled patent claims with Rambus.
Generics are chemically identical copies of branded medicines that have lost patent protection, creating a level of competition that can drive prices down.
The biggest controversy is whether Pfizer will spin off its established products unit, which sells generic drugs and branded medicines like Norvasc and Zoloft that have lost patent protection.
It is also important though that we have a patent system that encourages innovation but doesn't just lock in big monopolies that prevent new people from bringing new products into the system.
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That is especially true for technology companies, but based on the above I would argue that savvy investors need to also look for companies that have strong patent portfolios, particularly with regard to those technologies that are on the cusp of going mainstream.
As part of the Microsoft investment, the two parties have settled their patent litigation, and the new subsidiary will have a royalty-bearing license under Microsoft's patents for the Nook, the companies said.
The U.S. patent office appears to have granted Pfizer a patent covering any drug that blocks this enzyme, meaning that it can sue all of its potential competitors.
While such patents -- a term believed to have been coined by the Japanese Patent office -- have been exploited from time to time since 1965 when they were first identified in the Patent Examiners' Handbook, there are available remedies well short of legislation that would effectively undermine the entire U.S. patent system.
EU's 20 official languages. (The cost of translation makes getting a patent in Europe far more expensive than in, say, America.) This would have created broad patent-protection and cut costs for inventors.
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Additionally, you do not have the number of frivolous law suits in patent litigation that you have in other civil litigation because it is so expensive to litigate patent infringement.
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Martin said two generic firms have challenged the patent, but declined to name them.
Meanwhile, an entire pharmacopoeia of medicines have gone off patent and fallen out of use.
Analysts widely expect the generic firms to lose, but even experts have trouble calling patent cases.
Plenty of other firms have paid off patent-holders in the face of legal action.
Half of all Android devices have entered into patent agreements with Microsoft , according to Neowin.
Three once lucrative cholesterol-cutters have already lost patent protection (Merck's Mevacor and Zocor, and Bristol-Myers Squibb's Pravachol).
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