USPTO Chief David Kappos to Step Down in January

David Kappos plans to step down in January as director of the U.S. Patent and Trade Office. His future plans aren’t clear, and no successor has been named, the Blog of Legal Times reports. However, his departure would leave deputy director Teresa Rea in charge until a new chief is…

Nov 26, 2012 10:11 PM CST

Antitrust Enforcers to Consider Whether Patent Trolls Disrupt Competition

Antitrust regulators have scheduled informal hearings next month to consider whether patent trolls are disrupting competition and stifling innovation. The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission have invited technology companies and at least one patent holding company to participate, the Wall Street Journal reports. The holding companies, known as…

Nov 20, 2012 11:30 AM CST

Telecommuters Kept Patent Office at 70% Productivity During Hurricane Sandy

Thanks to a liberal telecommuting policy, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office remained productive during a two-day government shutdown for Hurricane Sandy. Patent office director David Kappos says patent and trademark teams averaged productivity of more than 70 percent during the storm, the Washington Post reports. The employees “showed an…

Nov 9, 2012 4:13 PM CST

Told Apple Needs 14 Days to Change ‘Untrue’ Samsung Correction Notice, UK Judge Expresses Disbelief

Ordered by the United Kingdom’s High Court of Justice last month to put a post on its website explaining that a competitor didn’t copy its iPad design, Apple Inc. tried to comply but published a notice that was “untrue” and “incorrect,” according to British judges. Then, when Apple was ordered…

Nov 1, 2012 9:53 PM CDT

BigLaw Clamors for Lawyers with Tech Transactions Expertise

Recruiters are seeing increased demand for technology transactions lawyers who have expertise in M&A and the ability to value patent assets. Many national law firms that once shunned tech transaction work as too routine and too conflict-ridden are now clamoring for tech transaction partners, the Recorder reports. Among the firms…

Oct 30, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Fed. Circuit Says Trial Judge Abused Discretion in Smartphone Sales Ban, Aligns with Posner View

In a Thursday ruling in one of several recent patent cases related to smartphone technology, a federal appeals court said a U.S. District Court judge in California abused her discretion by granting a pretrial injunction sought by Apple Inc. that banned sales of the Galaxy Nexus marketed by Samsung Electronics…

Oct 12, 2012 9:38 PM CDT

Supreme Court’s Recent Cert Grants Include Rare Privileges and Immunities Case

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear seven new cases last Friday, including an appeal claiming a state is discriminating against out-of-state residents. SCOTUSblog says the case involves the “rarely interpreted privileges and immunities clause.” At issue is whether the state of Virginia violated the Constitution when it allowed its…

Oct 11, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

Patently Delicious: Meat Specialist Seeks to Patent a Certain Cut of Meat

Oct 1, 2012 9:10 AM CDT

Telecommuting Is the Norm at the US Patent Office

Patent reviewers and trademark examining attorneys who work for the federal government are likely doing their jobs from home. About 66 percent of employees at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are telecommuting, the Washington Post reports. The office is an exception to the norm for federal workers; only about…

Sep 11, 2012 12:34 PM CDT

Jury Foreman in $1B Apple-Samsung Case Owns Patent for Smartphone-Related Apparatus

A video interview by Bloomberg of the foreman of a federal jury in California that awarded over $1 billion to Apple Inc. in a patent dispute case last week is likely to be watched with considerable interest by legal counsel for the losing party, Samsung Electronics Co. Among other potential…

Aug 28, 2012 11:01 PM CDT

Jury Foreman in $1B Apple Case Said Jurors’ Legal and Engineering Experience Speeded Deliberations

Updated: The foreman of the jury that awarded Apple $1.05 billion on Friday is a retired engineer who has patented his own inventions. Foreman Velvin Hogan, 67, told Reuters that jurors were able to reach a quick verdict—they did so on the third day of deliberations—because some had legal and…

Aug 27, 2012 12:07 PM CDT

Inventor Sues Ketchup Maker Over Two-Way Condiment Package

A Chicago inventor is suing ketchup-maker H.J. Heinz Co., saying the company stole his design for a flexible condiment package that it’s claiming as its own. Scott White says he came up with the idea for a condiment container with a removable cover four years before Heinz came out with…

Aug 20, 2012 10:05 PM CDT

Sparks Continue to Fly at Apple vs. Samsung Patent Infringement Trial

A hard-fought megabucks patent infringement battle between Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. continues to strike sparks at trial in federal court in San Jose, Calif. Lawyers for both sides regularly snipe at each other outside the courtroom, and an exasperated U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh has taken on…

Aug 10, 2012 9:03 PM CDT

Judge Orders Litigants Google and Oracle to Disclose Paid Bloggers

Updated and corrected: A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered two tech companies that battled over Android smart phones to disclose payments made to bloggers, authors, commentators and journalists. U.S. District Judge William Alsup required Google and Oracle to disclose the payments to individuals who commented or reported on…

Aug 8, 2012 11:56 AM CDT

Samsung Calls Apple Bid for Judgment Sanction ‘Frivolous,’ Federal Judge Lets Trial Roll On

Fireworks earlier this week about whether Samsung Electronics Co. had done an end run around a federal judge by providing to the media evidence excluded from a patent trial with Apple Inc. over design of the two companies’ smartphones apparently have fizzled. After a Thursday response by Samsung that described…

Aug 3, 2012 5:12 PM CDT