Pattoo - litigation

The PEG Patent and The Professor

Sat, 08 Jul 2006 23:41:25 -0400

Milton Harris, a professor turned Chief Scientific Officer, and Robert Chess, CEO of Nextar is giving UAH, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, an "endowment".

The University of Alabama in Huntsville will receive $25 million as part of a patent settlement with a former UAH professor and a California-based pharmaceutical company, the school said Friday.

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Top Ten Patents

Wed, 05 Jul 2006 10:18:52 -0400

David Letterman is not the only person with a Top Ten List. The EFF, aka Electronic Frontier Foundation: "Defending Freedom in the Digital World", has a Patent Busting Project underway with a Top Ten list. Wired News says in the article entitled EFF Publishes Patent Hit List:

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is spoiling for a fight, and on Wednesday it named the top 10 patents it wants killed, or at least redefined.

Two of the ten "threatening" patents owners the EFF has singled out include radio titan Clear Channel and beloved video game maker Nintendo.

"These patent owners have been threatening people that just can't defend themselves," said Jason Schultz, staff attorney at the EFF.

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Potential Patent Problems for Streams

Wed, 28 Jun 2006 23:24:37 -0400

Patent No. 7,020,704, which was filed in 1999, could be problematic to web media streaming. Of course, according to the article, the popular iTunes service would not be immuned.

A company formed after the burst of the Internet bubble to control assets of defunct ZapMedia Inc. has received a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that could potentially send shock waves through industries that distribute digital audio and video content over the Internet.

$12 billion Pinhole?

Thu, 15 Jun 2006 11:00:14 -0400

I would have never had guess that a vent no larger than a pinhole could be worth so much money, but Jack Evans could receive that much from GM if he wins a court battle scheduled to begin the end of this year.

Evans claimed that GM stole his design for an engine cooling system when he worked as a consultant for the company in the 1980s.

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Coming Soon: Another Nasty Patent Battle

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 19:42:01 -0400

It looks like a patent battle will be playing out on the small screen. The participates are Netflix, who has $228 million in cash with no debt and 4.9 million subscribers, and Blockbuster, a company that seems to have trouble reinventing itself. Even though they are most certainly biased, Blockbuster's comments are disturbing:

Skype Accused of Patent Infringement

Sat, 03 Jun 2006 14:43:57 -0400

Net2Phone Inc., which enables cable companies to provide residential phone service, has charged that Internet phone service provider Skype Technologies SA has infringed on its patent on point-to-point Internet calling.

read more | digg story

Steve Ballmer Hints Microsoft May Use Its Software Patents Against Linux

Sun, 26 Mar 2006 21:10:01 -0500

In an interview with Forbes, Steve Ballmer says that Microsoft may use its patent against Linux. Microsoft previously said Linux users face IP risks, but this is the first time for Microsoft to say that Microsoft itself might start legal action against Linux.

read more | digg story

Netflix Files Patent Lawsuit Against NCR

Thu, 23 Mar 2006 12:32:43 -0500

It looks like NCR is hitting Netflix up for license fees on 9 patents for things like "ordering from computerized repositories, organizing information on the Web and computer security systems," so Netflix filed first instead of giving in.

read more | digg story

Sony might lose courtcase over its PS2 controller rumble feature

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 00:17:33 -0500

Immersion Corp, which owns the patent on "rumble" technology, has won another round in its suit against Sony.

U.S. Company Hits Toyota Over Prius Tech

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 12:59:28 -0500

An American company called Solomon Technologies has filed a complaint with the United States International Trade Commission against Toyota, saying the company's technology in the Prius and other hybrid cars infringe on its patents.