Man bites dog: Rackspace sues “notorious” patent troll
photo: puukibeach via Flirk
Rackspace will see Parallel Iron and IP Nav in federal court where it will ask for damages in a bid to stop patent troll abuses Read more »
Patent troll sues Apple, Google and everyone else, but BT denies involvement
A U.S. non-practising entity is using an old BT patent to attack Apple, Google, Motorola, HTC, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and others. However, BT denies any connection with the suit, saying it sold away all rights around the broad patent. Read more »
Patent trolls are about to invade the cloud
photo: ollyy/Shutterstock.com
Huge and expensive patent battles aren’t going away anytime soon– in fact, they’re likely to continue to pick up steam this year. Efrat Kasznik, of Foresight Valuation Group, lays out some of the intellectual property battlegrounds of tomorrow. Read more »
Ailing patent troll targets Facebook and Wal-Mart, claims to own web
A patent troll, working with the University of California, gained infamy by filing patent suits claiming to own the world wide web. Even though Amazon and Google knee-capped it earlier this year, the troll marches onward. Read more »
Shell company sues Facebook, Amazon over targeted banner ads
photo: puukibeach via Flirk
Patent troll suits — in which shell companies that don’t make anything sue those that do — are proliferating. The latest example may include a shell firm suing Facebook and others for using banner ads. Read more »
Genius or troll? Patent owner sues dozens over anti-piracy method
A patent holder who claims to own “signal abstraction” is going after companies that use basic anti-piracy techniques. The dispute has spawned dozens of lawsuits and raises questions yet again about the state of America’s patent system. Read more »
Another senior judge bemoans ‘wasteful litigation,’ state of patent system
A judge added more grist to the ongoing controversy over the state of America’s patent system. The judge — who sits on the country’s top patent court — complained about the cost and consequences of obvious patents. Read more »
Malaria is no excuse for patent trolling, Mr. Myhrvold
The CEO of Intellectual Ventures says his company’s philanthropy means he is doing more good for the world than GigaOM. The claim fails to account for the harm to innovation he is causing through ruinous patent suits. Read more »
Patent troll tries to saw BuzzFeed over video ads
photo: DM7
A shell company says it owns the right to insert certain types of ads into online videos. Its lawsuit against popular viral site Buzzfeed shows how the problem of “patent trolling” is touching every part of the technology and media industry. Read more »
Patent troll says it owns GPS, sues Foursquare
photo: puukibeach via Flirk
Patent trolls continue to take it to young companies with a vengeance. This time, a shell company that claims to own basic navigation technology wants the maker of a popular location-based “check-in” service to pay up. Read more »
Super troll sues Netflix, Yelp, dozens more over Autocomplete
photo: Flickr / Jacob Bøtter
This one’s a doozy even by patent troll standards. A shell company that is already suing Apple and Nokia over a common autocomplete feature is now branching out to file dozens of patent claims against online video firms and retailers. Read more »
Another app maker sues to stop Lodsys patent troll
photo: Flickr / Jacob Bøtter
Creative Mobile, maker of popular games like Drag Racer, is the latest company to fight back against a shell company that is demanding app makers pay up if they include a common “in-app purchase” button. Read more »
Patent troll stalks travel site Hipmunk
Hipmunk’s quest to “take the agony out of travel planning” has won plaudits from users and the media and earned the start-up a new $15 million investment. Now, a patent troll wants Hipmunk to give it a piece of the action. Read more »
Texas firm says Facebook, Microsoft violate spam filter patent
photo: Flickr / Jacob Bøtter
A greedy patent troll that has already bagged Apple and Cisco is heading back to Texas to demand Facebook and others pay up for including a spam filter in their email systems. Read more »
Patent troll’s bell tolls for Viacom
Defunct Web 1.0-era VOD company Intertainer continues to file patent suits, alleging Viacom transgresses its technology when streams shows like Spongebob Squarepants. Intertainer is currently litigating with Hulu and has a 10-year history of filing complaints and winning settlements. Read more at paidContent »
We’re all trolls now: why the patent ‘rat’s nest’ is worse than you think
photo: DM7
Veteran tech reporter Walt Mossberg confronted Nathan Myhrvold this week about the former Microsoft CTO’s role heading up the world’s largest patent troll. Read more »
Click-to-Call companies face patent troll trouble
“Click-to-call” is a feature that lets users make a phone call by tapping a button on a website. The feature is a hit with merchants who want to reach an online audience and also represents a bright spot for the mobile ad industry. Read more »
Apple scourge Lodsys continues patent rampage against developers, corporations
photo: Flickr / Jacob Bøtter
Patent troll Lodsys became infamous after it extracted a license from Apple but then turned around and sued small iOS app developers for including features like “in-app purchase” in their products. Read more »
Patent troll tries to mangle hand craft site Etsy
photo: Flickr / Jacob Bøtter
Etsy is an online marketplace where users buy and sell handmade and vintage goods. Last week, the Brooklyn-based company with the folksy feel raised a $40 million investment. Read more »
Patent Troll Sues Amazon, Mobile Industry Over Battery Charger
photo: puukibeach via Flirk
A Texas shell company is claiming that battery technology in devices like the Kindle Fire and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus infringes its patent. Read more at paidContent »
How Chicago Is Beating Silicon Valley At The Patent Game
Silicon Valley leads the world in technology but it’s losing a debate over how that technology should be used. A new surge in patent lawsuit… Read more at paidContent »
Samsung, Research In Motion Sued For Using Emoticons ;(
photo: Shutterstock / Lasse Kristensen
A shell company capped off a week of patent controversy by suing two popular phone makers for including a button that lets users put a smile… Read more at paidContent »
Asian Video Games Could Sink Social Gaming Patent
photo: puukibeach via Flirk
A new patent troll last week fired a shot at Facebook, Zynga and others with a lawsuit that claims rights to in-game payments — the process… Read more at paidContent »
Patent Troll Stalks Social Gaming Industry Over Virtual Payments
photo: Flickr / Shayne Kaye
A new patent troll announced its arrival this week by suing companies like Facebook, Zynga and Playfish. Its weapon is a patent that it clai… Read more at paidContent »
Google, Apple Hit With Patent Over Street View For iPad
photo: Corbis / Julian Stratenschulte
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) are in a worldwide squabble over smartphone patents, but they will have to cooperate long enough… Read more at paidContent »
Amazon Sued Over Kindle Screensavers
photo: puukibeach via Flirk
Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN), already facing a number of patent lawsuits over its Kindle e-readers, was hit with a new one this week. Read more at paidContent »
Apple Hit With Playlist Patent, Suit Filed By Former Judge’s Firm
A Texas shell company, Smart Audio Technologies, has filed a suit claiming Apple’s iPod Nano and other devices violate its patent for random… Read more at paidContent »
Updated: App Maker Uses GPS Patent To Sue Zillow, Trulia
After suing media site TechCrunch in 2008 over a controversial GPS patent, Chicago-based Earthcomber is at it again. This time it’s accusing… Read more at paidContent »
Amazon Ends Lawsuit Over Kindle Fire
In a surprise development, Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) has quietly resolved a lawsuit that alleges its Kindle Fire violates four patents related to… Read more at paidContent »
Kindle Fire Hit With 'Playlist' Patent Used To Beat Apple
photo: Amazon
‘Music player’ is not how most would describe Amazon’s much-hyped new tablet. Unless, that it is, you happen to own a powerful patent for au… Read more at paidContent »
Twitter Holds Ground In Patent Suit — And Wins
You’ve heard this one before: a lawyer obtains a spurious patent and demands a major company to pay him handsomely for infringing it. This t… Read more at paidContent »
Billion-Dollar Patent Lawyer Hunting Facebook, Twitter
photo: puukibeach via Flirk
John Desmarais is famous in patent law circles for obtaining a $1.5 billion verdict against Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) in 2007 and, more recentl… Read more at paidContent »
How A Texas Dog Park Became A New Front In America’s Patent Wars
Like many other dog parks in the country, the new Stragent Dog Park in Longview, Texas, provides an opportunity for man’s best friend to fro… Read more at paidContent »
Kindle Fire Hit With Patent Suit
photo: Amazon
Amazon’s new tablet won’t be available until November 15, but it’s never too early to file a patent suit. Smartphone Technologies LLC, which… Read more at paidContent »
Key Case Involving Apple, Google And App Developers Gets New Judge
Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and Google (NSDQ: GOOG) are trying to aid app developers in an important case that will decide whether the developers are… Read more at paidContent »
Patent Troll Strikes Bloomberg, NYT And Other News Giants
photo: Flickr / Jacob Bøtter
For some time now, so-called patent trolls have aggressively targeted the biggest tech companies in the world. Now, they seem to be setting… Read more at paidContent »
Super Troll Lodsys Stalks Blackberry App Developers
photo: puukibeach via Flirk
Research In Motion’s lousy year just got a little worse. Already beset by declining smart phone sales and a troubled tablet, the BlackBerry… Read more at paidContent »
Subscriber Content
Why the patent wars will move to the cloud
Google’s $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola this week has been widely interpreted as a bid to control the mobile phone company’s portfolio of 17,000 mobile patents. As Colin Gibbs noted last week, handset manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung and HTC appear increasingly willing to claim patent infringement in order ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google passes on chance to signal stronger Android patent defense
Google CEO Larry Page addressed a question about what Google’s plans regarding Android’s patent situation, but generally side-stepped the query, pointing to Android’s momentum before finishing with a modest commitment to the platform. It seems like a missed opportunity to signal support to manufacturers and developers. Read more »
Lodsys Fires Back With Lawsuits for Some App Developers
In response to Apple’s letter claiming that the license it holds for using technology ostensibly patented by Lodsys, the patent holding firm has filed suit against a number of App Store developers Tuesday. The firm claims Apple’s license does not in fact extend to developers. Read more »
