In the late 1990s, when the Internet was only starting to go global, two engineers from MIT figured out a way to make the expansion much smoother. They proposed that websites should store text, images and other static content in multiple data centers around the world to reduce the distance that international browser requests must…
Category: Legal
The Supreme Court will hear Samsung and Apple’s iPhone dispute in October
The tech industry usually doesn’t pay much attention to the happenings at the U.S. Supreme Court, but the October case schedule that was released last Thursday managed to generate a lot of buzz. The agenda includes an oral hearing of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. vs. Apple Inc. No. 15-777, a long-running patent dispute that could have…
How open patents are driving electric vehicle adoption
The usefulness of patents extends far beyond the courtroom. They can put a company in a better position to negotiate with investors and buyers, generate new revenue streams and even serve as a tool for encouraging market growth. The latter strategy is proving to be particularly popular in budding industries like the electric vehicle sector.…
New filing offers a rare glimpse into IBM’s offensive patent strategy
Big Blue’s aggressive patent practices have reared their ugly head once against last week.
Weekend infographic: Europe's unitary patent
A brief visual explainer of the unitary patent system that started rolling out across the European Union earlier this year and its benefits for inventors.
Weekend infographic: 2000 years of patent history
The first patents appeared in fifteen-century Venice, but the concept of intellectual property dates back much further than that to the very dawn of modern civilization. And its origins may surprise you.
The patent troll that sued Apple over Wi-Fi in iPhones now wants the rights to mobile photography
The Microsoft-based Core Wireless Licensing is gearing up for round two with the iPhone maker.
Weekend infographic: The toll of patent trolling on technology innovation
Today’s infographic, the first in a series that will run every weekend to supplement this blog’s main coverage, looks at the cost of intellectual proprietary abuse for the tech industry and innovation as a whole. The data speaks for itself.
The South Korean government is a patent troll
South Korea’s patent hoarding arm is stocking up on IP in anticipation of the coming wearables boom. And that’s bad news for manufacturers, along with any consumer expecting even a semblance of privacy from their smart glasses.