Litigation - 2/5 - Beem Patent Law

History, International, invention, Litigation, Patent Prosecution, Patents, Technology

Would you rather win a Nobel Prize or a Patent?

Which would you pick: The Nobel prize or a patent? If you’re like me, your instinctive reaction is to choose the Nobel. Its scarcity, prestige, and certainty of financial reward are unequaled. In this article, we’ll compare the merits of the Nobel award with the value of patents. Alfred Nobel himself will be our primary case […]

By : beemlaw Jun 7, 2016 No Comment

Appeals, Claim Construction, Federal Circuit, General Counsel, Information technology (IT), Infringement, invention, Litigation, Patent Prosecution, Patents, Technology, Validity

How long should a patent claim be?

House counsel for a large software company has written an open letter to me titled Pursuit of Extremely Short Patent Claims. He has thrown down the gauntlet in a public forum. Here’s what he said to me, followed by my response.

By : beemlaw May 19, 2016 1 Comment

General Counsel, History, Information technology (IT), Infringement, International, invention, Licensing, Litigation, Patent Prosecution, Patents, Technology

Three Takeaways from Computer Chip Patent Wars

On April 25, 1961, Robert Noyce, then of Fairchild, was issued U.S. Patent 2,981,877 for the first silicon-based integrated circuit. The earlier-filed patent application of Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments (TI) was still in the queue at the U.S. Patent Office. In the end, Intel would become Fairchild’s heir and boast annual sales of over $50 billion, leaving […]

By : beemlaw Apr 25, 2016 No Comment

Bar Associations, Claim Construction, Constitutional Law, Counterfeiting, History, Infringement, International, Litigation, Patent Prosecution, Patents, Technology, Trademarks, Validity

How Young Turks Can Help Build Your IP Portfolio

Are you protecting your company’s patents, trademarks, and other intellectual property (IP) internationally? If not, you’re missing out! The Young Turks of IP, literally in Turkey and figuratively elsewhere, can help you to advance your company’s business interests through better, stronger IP protection. Here’s what’s at stake, with 7 tips on how and when to protect your […]

By : beemlaw Apr 15, 2016 No Comment

Appeals, Claim Construction, Federal Circuit, General Counsel, History, Information technology (IT), Infringement, International, invention, Litigation, Patents, Supreme Court, Technology, Validity

What everyone should know about Apple slide-to-unlock patent vs. Samsung

In the last inning of the Apple-Samsung game of smartphone hardball, Samsung slid into home. Apple failed to make the tag. “Samsung is safe!” cried the umpires. The inning was umpired by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which held Apple’s slide-to-unlock U.S. Patent 8,046,721 invalid. See Apple v. Samsung (Fed. Cir. Feb. 26, 2016).

By : beemlaw Apr 5, 2016 No Comment

Litigation, Patents

How to get lucky in basketball and in patent cases

Luck, resources, or skill: Which factor is most important in basketball? In patent cases? In basketball, one counts on a bit of luck as the ball rolls around the rim. Talented players are the key resources. For skill, look at the coaches. In patent cases, judges and juries are drawn randomly. The top resources—and the biggest liabilities—in patent cases are the facts. The skill […]

By : beemlaw Apr 4, 2016 No Comment

Appeals, Federal Circuit, General Counsel, Infringement, Inter Partes Review (IPR), invention, Litigation, Patent Prosecution, Patents, Supreme Court, Technology

How to Profit from Patents While Apple, Samsung Weigh In At Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has granted Samsung’s appeal of a $500 million dollar judgment rendered on the latter’s infringement of Apple’s smartphone (iPhone) design patent. If your company owns patents, you may wonder: What effect will Apple-Samsung have on your patent program? More practically, how can you and your company make money on your patents starting now, in the “incubation period” of […]

By : beemlaw Mar 21, 2016 No Comment

Appeals, Federal Circuit, Litigation, Supreme Court

Sixty Seconds of Silence for Scalia

Amidst the raging debate over succession for Justice Antonin Scalia (1936-2016), I ask for one minute of silence. Not from the press, the Executive Office, or the campaign trail, but from the Bench. One minute of silence from the Bench. For each side in

By : beemlaw Feb 18, 2016 No Comment

Infringement, International, invention, Licensing, Litigation, Patent Prosecution, Patents, Presidents, Technology, Trademarks, Validity

Billion Dollar Lego Patent

Fifty-eight years ago today, Kirk Godtfred of Lego filed his patent application on the basic building block, literally, of Lego’s billion dollar private fortune. Now, here’s the thing: A patent filed 58 years ago is long expired. The then-standard-17-year term ended in 1978. So how is it that Lego is still the only game in town?

By : beemlaw Jan 28, 2016 No Comment

General Counsel, Infringement, invention, Licensing, Litigation, Patent Prosecution, Patents, Technology

Why Patent?

This is the third in a series of articles on four W’s: The who, what, why, and when of patent. In this article, we’ll address the all-important question, why patent?

By : beemlaw Jan 18, 2016 No Comment

Category: Litigation