But for now we have the patent system we have, and both Google and Samsung look like they might be in trouble.
The patent disputes have been key in spurring talks about Apple diversifying its suppliers.
Myself I take it as just being yet another example of how strange the patent laws have become recently.
Several aspects of the patent bill have begun to draw attention, and fire.
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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).
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.
Unfortunately, in order to get cheap ciproflaxacin from India, the U.S. would have to find a way to circumvent the same patent laws that have given us very expensive but life-saving drugs ranging from Novartis (nyse: NVS - news - people ) cancer drug Gleevec to Merck 's (nyse: MRK - news - people ) cholesterol-fighting drug Zocor.
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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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.
They have just one ally in the current patent litigation landscape: NPEs that have the expertise to determine the validity of their claim, and the resources necessary to pursue it to a final judgment of infringement.
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The Supreme Court in April raised the bar for receiving a patent, which could also have the effect of reducing the number of patent lawsuits.
Kumar, however, contends that the patent should not have been given in the first place.
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However, the battle may prove to be fruitless as both firms have the patent power to diffuse a negative verdict.
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Two significant problem areas: inflated appraisals and giving only a partial interest in the patent (you have to give away the whole thing to get a deduction).
After waiting for years to obtain a patent, and enduring a difficult path of expensive examination, the patent owner would have to endure still more attacks, without the shield of the clear and convincing evidence standard for protection.
In a recent blog post, Google explains that -- along with its collaborators -- it has submitted comments to the aforementioned agencies, detailing the impact that "patent trolls" have on the economy.
For example, in the past 5 years alone, patent filings from the PRC have increased five-fold compared with the previous 5 year period.
She has been a steady advocate of the poor, and on one memorable occasion she faced down Senator Jesse Helms and shamed the Senate into killing legislation that would have renewed the patent on the old Confederate flag held by the Daughters of the Confederacy.
The generic company agrees, because they get to sell the generic version of Presslow 9 months earlier than they would have if the patent was upheld, giving the generic manufacturer a revenue boost.
The looming patent expirations and also the Remicade arbitration have caused Merck to trade at a very low multiple of earnings.
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Since the launch of the Institute, the two have begun pursuing a second patent for the clothing industry.
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The outcome will have important ramifications for the American patent system and the future of inventiveness.
ALVISO, CA--(Marketwire - Sep 24, 2012) - TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO) announced today that it has settled its pending patent litigation with Verizon Communications Inc. and that the companies have entered into a mutual patent licensing arrangement.
Throughout the debate, large technology firms, which are frequently accused of patent infringement, have backed the higher standard for patentability.
This ruling is very disappointing to the Cupertino firm, in the sense that only 2 claims relating to only one patent have been recognized as true by the ITC, out of dozens relating to 10 patents that formed the initial filling of Apple.
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So the two countries, South Korea and Japan, with the largest number of patent applications per capita have extremely low fertility rates, indeed two of the lowest fertility rates in the entire world.
But the more important point is that we already have a specialist patent court at the appellate level.
Hopefully, the outcome will also have a wider impact on patent cases of the future, so companies will spend more time making shiny things for us, and less on courtroom squabbles.
Martin said two generic firms have challenged the patent, but declined to name them.
We think we may have found the patent application in question, submitted in 2010 by SoftBank Mobile Corp.
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