IP Experts Discuss US Congressional Changes, Prospects For IP Legislation
Intellectual Property Watch – November 13, 2018
Major changes are coming to the makeup of the US Congress from the perspective of intellectual property policy, and while it may translate into more patent-friendly officials, the prospect for legislation is uneven, a panel of IP experts told a private sector conference here last week. Read more.
Why Optimism in the Patent Monetisation Market is Rising
Managing Intellectual Property – November 10, 2018
The average price of a US patent is down 30% to $176,000 this year. The reason this may not be bad and what is driving “realistic optimism” among patent monetisers were some of the takeaways from the IP Dealmakers Forum. Read more.
Activist investor — companies too focused on number of patents they file each year
IAM Magazine – November 9, 2018
A co-founder of Starboard Value, an investment fund that has been one of the most prominent activist investors in the IP space since it was founded in 2011, has called into question corporate strategies that link innovation to the number of patents a company files. He also queried the worth of initiatives that reward employees for filing patents with little focus on the quality or overall relevance of those grants. Peter Feld, who is a portfolio manager and the head of research at Starboard, was speaking at the IP Dealmakers Forum which was held in New York earlier this week. “For too long companies have talked about the level of their innovation based on the number of patents they file every year,” he told delegates. Read more.
Experts Assess Coming Changes In US Courts And Patentability
Intellectual Property Watch – November 9, 2018
A panel of legal and government experts this week discussed trends in courts in the United States on patent cases and changes underway at the US Patent and Trademark Office. One conclusion? There may be a real shift in what is seen as patentable in the US, but it may take an act of Congress. Read more.
Three perspectives on recent IP trade war developments
IAM Magazine – November 9, 2018
While the US case against UMC and Fujian Jinhua raises serious questions over how Chinese companies and the government respect the IP rights of foreign companies, it is striking that the DOJ’s indictment comes at a time when as former USPTO China expert Mark Cohen described it, “China is toughening up on IP”. At this week’s IP Dealmakers Forum in New York he called that one of the “ironies of the current political moment”. Read more.
How US Mideterm Elections Will Affect Intellectual Property
Managing Intellectual Property – November 8, 2018
IP is not likely to be a big focus if Hank Johnson becomes chair of House of Representatives IP subcommittee but “all bets are off” if one possibility who has been highly critical of patents is appointed. Read more.
More valuable to offer patent licences through LOT and OIN than do it ourselves, says Microsoft IP chief
IAM Magazine – November 8, 2018
Just weeks after Microsoft’s landmark decision to join the License on Transfer Network and the Open Invention Network (OIN), its IP chief Erich Andersen has revealed that the company determined that it would derive more value from joining the two defensive platforms than trying to monetise the patents in its portfolio in traditional ways. Read more.