Software Patent News for January 19th:
- Patent suit on method of using Icons that look like the content of the files they represent [Patently-O] –
In 1998 three central-Indiana inventors filed for patent protection iconic software. The claims – finally issued in 2008 – cover a method of using icons that look like the content of the files they represent. The first named inventor – Greg Swartz – moved to Arizona and has recently filed an infringement complaint in that state. Defendants include Google (Chrome Browser), Microsoft (Vista), and Apple (iPhone). (U.S. Patent No. 7,346,850; ArsTechnica). - IBM garners most patents — again [InfoWorld]–
2008 is the 16th straight year that Big Blue led the race, pulling in 4,186 patents throughout 2008. Samsung ranked second with 3,515 patents, Canon third at 2,114, while Microsoft was fourth with 2,030, and Intel took the fifth spot with 1,776. Hewlett-Packard, meanwhile, came in at number 10 with 1,424. - IBM tops patent leadership in 2008 too [Business Standard] –
IBM plans to increase by 50 per cent, to more than 3,000, the number of technical inventions it publishes annually instead of seeking patent protection”. He, however, highlighted IBM’s pledge not to assert certain software patents against the open source community; and not to assert any patent against 150 software interoperability standards. - Liveblog: TACD IP: Patent Reform [Gavin Baker] –
Live Blog of Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) Workship on Patents, Copyrights and Knowledge Governance: The Next Four Years (Workshophttp://www.tacd-ip.org/blog/?page_id=5); Panel 5 – Patent Reform - Wegner’s Top Ten Patent Cases in 2009 [Patent Baristas] –
Including: “4) Bilski v. Doll:. . . since the claims in Bilski were not tied to particular hardware, the court did not consider the viability of patenting specific functions carried out by a computer. Now, how the phrase “tied to a particular machine” will be applied to software patents.” - ABA on the USPTO to president-elect Obama [IAM] –
The IP section of the Amercan Bar Association suggests a number of reforms which it believes will enhance the USPTO’s operation.