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A Few Production Discrepancies Do Not Justify Further ESI Discovery

In Larsen v. Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corp ., No. SACV 10-00401-AG (MLGx), 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12901 (C.D. Cal. Feb. 2, 2012), the court denied plaintiffs' motion to compel certain discovery. ...
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Attorney-Client Relationship Not Bona Fide Where Lopsided

here In the ongoing patent dispute between Apple and Motorola, the Northern District of Illinois recently held that an attorney-client privilege was NOT established where Apple's attorney ...
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Microsoft and Facebook Form Alliance Over Former AOL Patents

The alliance between Microsoft and Facebook grew even stronger this week as the two cut a deal granting rights to the patent portfolio purchased by Microsoft from AOL earlier this month. The deal ...
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Federal Circuit Rules License Negotion Documents Are Discoverable

It has long been established that license agreements are relevant and discoverable to the question of reasonable royalty in a patent case. Earlier this month, the Federal Circuit held in In Re MSTG, ...
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NYTimes asks: Is This Really the Golden Age for Inventors?

In a recent article, the NYTimes explores the patent system from the perspective of a small inventor. According to the aricle, the largest inventor's associatian in the U.S., the United Inventors ...
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IP-intensive industries support 27.7 percent of U.S. jobs

A Department of Commerce report attributed 40 million U.S. jobs to the country's 75 most "IP-intensive" (intellectual property intensive) industries. The IP-intensive industries, ...
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Microsoft moves German operations after injunction request

Microsoft is moving its European distribution headquarters from Germany to the Netherlands in response to a patent suit. Motorola has accused Microsoft of infringing Motorola's video streaming ...
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United States Patent and Trademark Office is Hiring

The USPTO is hiring patent examiners for its Washington, D.C. and Detroit offices. The USPTO is seeking applicants with experience in the following engineering fields: mechanical, biomedical, ...
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Facebook files counterclaims alleging infringement by Yahoo

Yahoo and Facebook were both quick to speak out on the development. In a statement, Ted Ullyot, Facebook's general counsel, said: "From the outset, we said we would defend ourselves ...
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Intellectual Property Awareness Assessment Tool

The USPTO and the NIST (the National Institute of Standards and Technology) have launched an online tool that will allow inventors to evaluate their intellectual property in order to determine when ...
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After Final Consideration Pilot

In a press release issued today, the USPTO announced that it would begin a new pilot program directed toward applications in the post-final rejection stage. The "After Final Consideration ...
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U.S. Patent Office Issues Memo Regarding Prometheus and Patentable Subject Matter Eligibility

The PTO has issued a memo providing preliminary guidance to the Patent Examining Corps regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Prometheus decision ( Mayo Collaborative Services v. Prometheus ...
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Mayo Collaborative Servs. v. Prometheus Labs

On March 20, 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court took up the issue of nonstatutory subject matter under 35 U.S.C. § 101 in Mayo Collaborative Servs. V. Prometheus Labs, Inc., 566 U.S. ___ (2012), ...
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Software Method of Executing an Instruction Held to be Patentable Subject Matter

The Northern District of California has ruled that a software claim of "a method of executing an instruction" is patentable subject matter. In Nazomi Communications, Inc. v. Samsung ...
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Patentees' Strengthened Right to Request Broader Patent Claims More Than Two Years After Patent Grant

Earlier this month, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that a patentee, who has filed a request for a broadening reissue within two years after the patent was originally granted, may ...
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Publishers Sue Law Firms for Submitting Prior Art to the PTO

Although the United States Patent Office ("USPTO") recently issued a statement that the submitting of prior art references does not violate copyright laws (see our February 8, 2012 blog on ...
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Patents For Humanity competition by the USPTO

The Patents for Humanity program is an awards competition for patent owners and licensees. The USPTO has begun this voluntary pilot program in an effort to recognize patent owners who apply their ...
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Court Finds Economic Factors Favor Transfer Despite Having Familiarity with the Patent-in-Suit

The Eastern District of Texas recently held that even though a court was familiar with the patent-in-suit, convenience of the witnesses, as well as other economic factors, favored transfer. In ...
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Walmart "Get on The Shelf" Contest

As most inventors know, getting a patent issued does not necessarily translate into commercial success. However, getting product placement at Wal-Mart would be a great step. Walmart is currently ...
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USPTO To Host Free Feb. 21 Webinar With Senior Agency Officials

WASHINGTON – The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will host a free public webinar with senior agency officials on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. USPTO ...
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Google is getting closer to closing its acquisition of Motorola Mobility

On February 13, 2012, the Department of Justice indicated that it would conclude its investigation of Google's planned $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility. The DOJ's anti-trust ...
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USPTO Announces Patents for Humanity Pilot Program

Last week, during a global development event at the White House, the USPTO announced the Patents for Humanity Pilot Program in order to incentivize businesses to engage in humanitarian efforts. The ...
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Blue Ivy Products Coming to a Store Near You?

If trademark filings are to be believed, Beyonce and husband Jay-Z will be adding to their business holdings soon. The couple, who just expanded their family with the addition of Blue Ivy this ...
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USPTO Considering Changes in Assignment Reporting

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is considering several changes in practice designed to encourage a more complete record at the USPTO of patent assignments. According to the ...
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PTO Studies Copyright Implications in Patent Examination Process

The USPTO recently looked at the issue of copyright fair use in the context of patent examination. Specifically, the PTO researched three issues Whether it is fair use for the USPTO to make copies of ...
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