Features
The way that companies report theirIP activities both internally andexternally is dependent on theoutcomes they are seeking to achieve
The electronics industry has been atthe heart of the explosion in USpatent suits over the past 20 years. It is important not to forget that –before coming to conclusions aboutoverall filing, litigation and licensingactivity
The results of an IP risk surveyundertaken earlier this year amongEuropean and US corporationsshow that while IP is increasinglyunderstood to be an importantcorporate asset, IP-relatedinsurance is yet to be viewed as apriority
Is becoming a profit centre andmeasuring success something thatall IP departments should aim for?The answer is not as straightforward as it might perhaps appear at first glance
As the way in which patents areviewed and exploited by theirowners and third parties haschanged over recent years, so newways of defining IP performancehave emerged. The challenge forcorporate IP managers is to keepup with developments in order tomaximise transaction value
Corporate IP managers share theirperspectives on differences inprocesses and structures to tackleIP valuations, a topic that is undermuch scrutiny and debate
The fourth IP Business Congress took place at thePalace Hotel in San Francisco from 19th to 21st June.It was attended by more than 500 delegates. Over thethree days of the event, they heard a multi-disciplinaryspeaking faculty of IP thought leaders debate a rangeof subjects centred on the theme of IP value creation
With the creation of One-Blue, six companies have developed aninnovative patent pool for Blu-rayDisc products that levels the playingfield, reduces costs and fosters fairuse of the patent system in theoptical disc sector
Columns
Patent holders can breathe a little moreeasily following the US Supreme Court’secent decision in i4i v Microsoft, whichmaintains the established burden of proofnecessary to invalidate a patent
Diverse businesses have mademonetising patents more lucrative andless painful. They have come a long way,but are yet to be fully understood
Insights
In addition to Google (operating under the Ranger moniker during thesale process), four parties took part in the auction for the Nortel patentportfolio: Apple; Rockstar Bidco, a consortium of major technologycompanies consisting of Microsoft, EMC, Sony, Ericsson and RIM;Intel Corporation; and Norpax LLC, an offshoot of RPX Corp.
Losing out in the US$4.5 billionNortel patent auction wasundoubtedly a major setbackfor Google. The company mustnow spend the money it savedon building a dynamic andstrong portfolio that canprotect the Android platform.The good news is that it can bedone. The bad news is thatcash-rich Apple will seek tomake it as hard as possible
A round-up of IP-related quotes, observations and opinions from the recent past ...
Industry insight
With more hurdles than ever standingbetween drug R&D and brand marketing,Jeroen Lallemand of ThomsonCompuMark explains how industry bestpractices are evolving to help create safertrade names more efficiently
Roundtable
Europe may claim to be a singlemarket, but when it comes to patentlitigation, this is certainly not thecase. Five experts discuss thechallenges that this fragmentedreality presents
