It claims the Wii uses stolen motion-sensing technology
Wall Street Journal Aug 20, 08 5:50 PM CDT
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A Maryland tech firm claims that Nintendo stole some of its technology for the popular Wii console, the Wall Street Journal reports. Hillcrest Laboratories filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission, alleging that Nintendo infringed on patents for motion-sensing technology. It wants to ban Wii consoles from being imported to the US, and a lawsuit is pending. Nintendo had no comment on the complaint.
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Fear of lawsuits behind group effort to snap up intellectual property
Wall Street Journal Jun 30, 08 11:45 CDT
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Some of tech's biggest players are banding together to corner the market on patents key to their various businesses, the Wall Street Journal reports. Companies like Google and Verizon are afraid of being held hostage by small players with a claim on key bits of intellectual property, and wary of so-called "patent trolls," outfits that buy intellectual property solely to launch lawsuits.
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iPods and iPhones could soon harness sun's power with new patent
Forbes May 27, 08 12:35 PM CDT
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Apple is seeking a different kind of moment in the sun, reports Forbes, as the behemoth has filed a patent that would integrate solar cells with its iPods and iPhones. The technology would boost the amount of area available for cells, paving the way for truly mobile gadgets free totally unplugged from the power grid.
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It wants retailers to stop selling game, claims patent infringement
Associated Press Mar 21, 08 1:00 PM CDT
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Gibson Guitar has sued Guitar Hero retailers, saying the Activision video games infringe on a patent it holds for a virtual-reality concert. The federal suit seeks to stop Wal-Mart, Target, Kmart, Amazon, GameStop, and Toys "R" Us from selling the games, reports AP. But Activision is fighting back—earlier this month it sued to have Guitar Hero declared free of patent violation.
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Generic birth control pill could soon steal market
Financial Times (UK) Mar 5, 08 4:27 CST
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Bayer shares tumbled to a 12-month low yesterday after a US judge ended the pharmaceutical giant's patent on Yasmin, the company’s top-selling birth control pill. The ruling means rival Barr Pharmaceuticals may introduce a lower-priced generic version of Yasmin in the next few months, Bloomberg reports.
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Will buy three patents as part of agreement with MercExchange
Wall Street Journal Feb 29, 08 12:17 PM CST
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After years of legal battling that escalated to the Supreme Court, eBay has settled a patent-infringement lawsuit by e-commerce technology company MercExchange. The companies aren’t revealing the financial terms, but eBay will buy the three patents that led to the suit. The auction giant said the agreement won’t affect its 2007 results or 2008 financial guidance, reports the Wall Street Journal .
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Addictive bricks survive video game threat to mark a half-century as a timeless hit
AFP Jan 29, 08 8:57 CST
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When a Dane filed a patent for interlocking toy bricks 50 years ago yesterday, it began a revolution that has produced enough Legos to stretch to the moon 10 times over, writes Time . The toy, named Forbes' "Toy of the Century" in 1999, survived stiff competition from higher-tech playthings and video games in recent years.
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IBM, Nokia, Sony and Pitney-Bowes join the new Eco-patent Commons
PC World Jan 14, 08 2:31 PM CST
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IBM tops the list of companies donating patents to a group that aims to help businesses produce greener products by sharing eco-friendly technology. Big Blue has promised 27 patents to the Eco-patent Commons; Nokia, Sony and mail equipment maker Pitney-Bowes will also donate, reports PC World . Shared patents will be freely available to all companies.
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Northeastern U and partner claim company stole search method
PC World Jan 12, 08 8:05 PM CST
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Google denies allegations that it is infringing on a patent held jointly by Northeastern University and a Massachussetts company for an Internet search method, and is countersuing to invalidate the patent, PC World reports. NU and its partner claim Google is infringing a patent they were granted for a distributed database system that breaks down search queries for faster results.
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Phone inventor likely copied competitor's patent application
MSNBC Dec 27, 07 3:34 PM CST
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Telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell ripped off the idea from his rival Elisha Gray, a new book claims. In The Telephone Gambit: Chasing Alexander Graham Bell's Secre t, journalist Seth Shulman uncovers evidence that Bell took a sneak peek at Gray's patent documents with the help of his lawyers and a corrupt patent examiner, MSNBC reports.
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Patent company says it owns 'Visual Voice'
Reuters Dec 4, 07 12:43 PM CST
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Add one to the number of lawsuits Apple’s iPhone has been hit with. Klausner Technologies yesterday said it filed a $360 million suit against Apple and AT&T for infringing on its patents for “Visual Voicemail,” Reuters reports. The sleek mobile phone’s highly touted function allows users to see who called them and then listen to each message individually.
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Battles with Nokia and Broadcom take toll on stock despite record results
Financial Times (UK) Nov 8, 07 10:49 PM CST
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Qualcomm reported record sales and profits for its 2007 fiscal year, but if its executives thought that would please a jittery Wall Street, they were wrong, as shares fell in after hours trading. The Financial Times reports the company is in a long-running and costly multinational legal battle with Nokia, and disappointing revenue forecasts excluded any estimated royalties from the cell phone giant.
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IBM wants to patent an idea about its patents, which is, well, patently contrary
Associated Press Oct 24, 07 6:43 PM CDT
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Big Blue is seeing green in a recent patent filing. IBM, which holds more patents than any company in the world and reaps more than $1 billion in royalties annually, says it wants to make it easier for small companies to license its ideas on a “floating privilege basis.” So it's seeking a patent on a method of granting access to patent portfolios, reports the AP.
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Angry customer started campaign; online seller will get re-draft try
Ars Technica Oct 17, 07 5:16 PM CDT
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Amazon may be one patent poorer after the US Patent Office decimated its claim to the “1-Click” shopping cart emblem yesterday—throwing into question a 1999 infringement settlement with Barnes & Noble. The online orderer will have a chance to re-write its application, Ars Technica reports, but stands to lose the patent altogether after the patent office rejected 21 of its original 26 claims.
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$80M patent settlement licenses tech, curtails rising legal costs
Bloomberg Oct 8, 07 2:30 PM CDT
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Vonage shares saw their biggest-ever bump today, after the company announced it has settled its patent lawsuit with Sprint for $80 million. In addition to cutting its legal losses, Vonage gains a license to use the disputed tech. “It's good in that things could have gotten worse,” one analyst told Bloomberg. “But it's not entirely positive because of the financial obligations.”
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Net phone company faces second huge judgment against it this year
CNN Sep 26, 07 12:10 CDT
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Vonage was found guilty of illegally using Sprint’s Internet phone patents, and now owes the carrier $69.5 million in damages, according to Dow Jones Newswires. More worrisome for Vonage is that an injunction could soon bar it from offering Net-based phone service altogether.
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