In case you haven’t heard, Yahoo! sued Facebook for infringement of ten of its patents. Electronic court records have yet to be updated, but Yahoo! helpfully provided a copy of the complaint to the media, which is embedded below. The complaint describes Yahoo! as an innovator and originator of technologies commonly in use by social … Continue reading
Intellectual Ventures made a name for itself by (originally) negotiating patent licenses outside of litigation. However, when those prospects started to run dry, IV launched a warning shot–which later appeared a bit underwhelming for a mass aggregator holding tens of thousands of patents. This opening blow was followed by a series of targeted rifle shots, … Continue reading
It’s the invention, stupid! Your reward for bringing products to market are sales. The patent system ensures that you share your profits with those who invented the technologies exploited by your products. Of course technology takers would prefer to use knowledge produced by the labor of others without compensating the creators, but the patent system is in place to prevent exactly that. Continue reading
It appears that Walker Digital and Apple reached a possible patent licensing deal, as Walker voluntarily dismissed Apple from two of its lawsuits.
So, the student of war who is unversed in the art of war of varying his plans … will fail to make the best use of his men. — Sun Tzu According to a statement issued today, Walker Digital “commenced the first sales of certain portions of its patent portfolio as part of its patent … Continue reading
Amazon.com’s “Subscribe and Save” program is the subject of a federal lawsuit filed today by research firm Walker Digital. The patent at issue is US Patent No. 5,970,470 generally related to sales methods. According to the complaint, Amazon infringes at least two of the 115 claims that cover the various sales methods covered by the … Continue reading
Last week, I issued the following challenge: Walker Digital was at the forefront of the most aggressive patent assertion effort ever to be attempted. (That’s not hyperbole. I challenge anyone to find an instance where a patent owner asserted more patents against more companies in a comparable period of time). via Does The New Patent … Continue reading
In a new age of large-scale patent assertion, Walker Digital may have outdone all earlier comers, including Intellectual Ventures, and the inexplicably notable Interval Licensing. PaidContent.org staff reporter Joe Mullin asks: Is Jay Walker jealous of Paul Allen? Allen got a lot of press when he sued 11 big internet companies last year, essentially saying … Continue reading
Since Walker Digital‘s announcement of 15 lawsuits against more than 100 companies, news coverage has exploded, the vast majority of which simply recycle the press release, or drop in miscellaneous notes about other Walker Digital lawsuits. Among the rare exceptions for some original contribution, there’s a local Stamford, CT paper that managed to contribute more … Continue reading
Patent licensing without the backdrop of litigation shouldn’t be rocket science. But Intellectual Ventures figured out last year that before shaking hands with the velvet glove, opponents want to peek at the iron fist. Of course, if you oblige and peel back the glove, or even offer to peel it back, you’ll often just find … Continue reading