Archive for April, 2007
USPTO proposed rules march on; Comment on the unknown
Dennis Crouch and Hal Wegner have done some excellent work on tracking the status of the USPTO proposed rules, including the proposed rule that would place an arbitrary limit on the ability to file continuation applications. Since their initial publication, the rules have been the subject of a great deal of debate which, thanks [...]
Patent reform in 2007 - it’s not what you think
So we’ve officially got a patent reform bill in the 110th Congress (both Crouch and Zura have excellent summaries). Hearings are even underway. So now we’ve all got to watch Congress like a pot of water on the stove, right?
I say no. Right now, Congress is last in line in the patent [...]
Brazil is so trendy…its pharma patent-busting technique is starting to catch on
In the fall of 2005, Brazil successfully used the TRIPs compulsory licensing provisions as a sword to negotiate lower prices on patent-protected drugs from big pharma. Abbott flinched when faced with this novel approach, and agreed to drastic discounts to avoid an ‘official’ compulsory license.
Back then, I viewed the agressive actions of the Brazilian [...]
Looking for a projector? Here’s 37 Signals of help….
The guys at 37 Signals (purveyors of elegantly simple, web-based software that I use every day) are looking to buy a projector and recently asked for “recommendations based on personal experience” to help them in making the purchase. Their high-profile blog will likely attract lots of valuable comments on the subject….if you or your [...]
How to kill the patent trolls - first, kill all [their] lawyers
For those convinced that the so-called patent-trolls are here to stay and that an Act of Congress is required to make them go away, I encourage you to take a “hmmmm…that’s interesting” look at Eon-Net v. Flagstar Bancorp.
In that case, the Federal Circuit recently refused to stay a sanctions judgment entered against a patentee and [...]
