Patent-Suit Winners Can Get Legal Fees #SCOTUS Says

By Susan Decker April 29, 2014

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Companies that successfully fight off “unreasonable” patent lawsuits can get their legal fees paid, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a decision that may benefit Google Inc. (GOOG:US), Apple Inc. (AAPL:US) and other technology businesses.

The high court today gave trial judges more power to impose fees if they determine the case “stands out from others” in the conduct of the losing party. In a related opinion, the court also limited the ability of an appeals court to overturn a trial judge’s decision in such cases.

“A case presenting either subjective bad faith or exceptionally meritless claims may sufficiently set itself apart from mine-run cases to warrant a fee award,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for a unanimous court.

STORY: Apple vs. Samsung, the Sequel

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Supreme Court skeptical of computer-based patents

Richard Wolf, USA TODAY12:47 p.m. EDT March 31, 2014

WASHINGTON -- The future of business and software patents hung in the balance Monday inside a Supreme Court chamber packed with lawyers who may be affected by the outcome, but the justices appeared to be seeking a more narrow solution to the proliferation of patents.

While voicing skepticism about the specific patent in question, which uses a computer to safeguard complex financial settlements, the justices repeatedly sought examples of what types of patents would remain legitimate if they impose new limits.

The case, Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International, poses huge risks for both sides. If the court upholds the patent or rules only narrowly against it without affecting most others, the problem of too many patents -- and patent lawsuits -- will continue. In that case, Justice Stephen Breyer said, future competition could move from price and quality to "who has the best patent lawyer."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/03/31/supreme-court-patent-software-business/7112959/

Apple Hit With $2 Billion Patent Infringement Lawsuit

By 

FRIEDRICH GEIGER 

CONNECT

Updated Feb. 5, 2014 12:27 p.m. ET

FRANKFURT—Apple Inc. is facing a claim for about $2 billion in damages from a German patent-holding firm that alleges the U.S. technology giant infringed on a cellphone technology it owns, a German court said Wednesday.

IPCom GmbH accuses Apple of improperly using patented technology that gives emergency calls priority on mobile networks.

A spokesman for IPCom, which is backed by U.S. fund manager Fortress Investments Group...

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304181204579364622073559490

Samsung not sanctioned over leakage of Apple documents

John Ribeir

A court in California has decided not to sanction Samsung Electronics for the leak of confidential Apple licensing information, stating that the information had not been misused in patent negotiations.

The court has, however, asked the external counsel to reimburse costs and fees incurred by Apple and Nokia on litigating the motion and related discovery.

Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled Wednesday that Samsung could not have benefited from the leaked information for its license negotiations with Nokia or Ericsson, pointing out that Samsung had argued that it already knew the terms of the agreement ahead of the leak.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2093000/samsung-not-sanctioned-over-leakage-of-apple-documents.html

Google’s Motorola Sale Underscores Primacy of Patents

By Ari Levy, Susan Decker and Brian Womack  Jan 29, 2014 11:01 PM CT 

Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Google Inc. signage is displayed in front of the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California.

With two patent-related deals in less than a week,Google Inc. (GOOG) is shoring up its intellectual property portfolio.

Google yesterdayagreed to sell its Motorola Mobility handset division to Lenovo Group Ltd. for $2.9 billion, while holding onto most of the unit’s patent portfolio. Earlier this week, Google signed a patent-licensing agreement with hardware partner Samsung Electronics Co., covering existing patents and those filed for the next decade.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-30/google-s-motorola-sale-underscores-primacy-of-patents.html

Social Media: Protecting Trade Secrets and Proprietary Information

Samsung Infringed One Apple Patent says Court

Judge Lucy Koh two blows against Samsung in its lawsuit with Apple.  Judge Koh ruled Samsung was infringing on one patent, and she ruled one of the patents it was preparing to bring as invalid.

The Verge:

AT&T patents file sharing blocker

By Charlie Osborne for Between the Lines 

AT&T has added a new invention to its portfolio: technology that can detect, block and ban file-sharers on a network.

Based on network activities, a user is assigned a "risk class" which, upon further monitoring, can result in file-sharing website access blockades, as reported by TorrentFreak.

The U.S. 8,590,054 patent, titled "Methods, devices and computer program products for regulating network activity using a subscriber scoring system," describes a network regulation system that keeps an eye on user behaviour before assigning them a "risk class" -- and allows the ISP to take action to curtail illegal behavior if necessary.

http://www.zdnet.com/at-and-t-patents-file-sharing-blocker-7000024330/