When Universities Sell Patents to Trolls, Publicly Funded Research Is Compromised There’s been a lot of talk lately about the state of publicly funded research. Many, including EFF, have long called on Congress to pass a law requiring that publicly… Read More ›
Tag Archive for ‘Patent Trolls’
Stupid Patent of the Month: Storage Cabinets on a Computer
How do you store your paper files? Perhaps you leave them scattered on your desk or piled on the floor. If you’re more organized, you might keep them in a cabinet. This month’s stupid patent, US Patent No. 6,690,400 (the… Read More ›
Happy Birthday Alice: Two Years Busting Bad Software Patents
This week marks the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Alice v. CLS Bank. In Alice, the court ruled that an abstract idea does not become eligible for a patent simply by being implemented on a generic… Read More ›
Stupid Patent AND Trademark of the Month: My Health®
This month features not only a stupid patent, but also a stupid trademark to go along with it. My Health, Inc. is the owner of U.S. Patent No. 6,612,985, which is entitled “Method and system for monitoring and treating a… Read More ›
It’s Time to Shut Down the Most Prolific Patent Troll in the Country
Jason Cugle, if all goes well, will soon be able to continue to operate his mail-order business without fear of a spurious patent lawsuit. With any luck, so will thousands of other small businesses that are often targeted by one… Read More ›
An Open Letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley
Don’t Give Up on Venue Reform Stand up for comprehensive patent reform. Dear Sen. Chuck Grassley, I work at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), an organization that fights for digital rights in the U.S. and abroad. Like you, my colleagues… Read More ›
Victory: A Sliver of Light to Be Shed on Patent Case
Court Orders Blue Spike to Explain Why It’s Keeping the Public in the Dark In a victory for the First Amendment and public access to court proceedings, a magistrate judge ruled in favor of EFF’s motion to unseal documents in a… Read More ›
We Can’t Keep Waiting: Pass the VENUE Act This Year
As the law stands now, patent owners have almost complete control over which federal district to file a case in. That’s a major problem. It lets patent owners exploit significant differences between courts, an advantage that the alleged infringers in… Read More ›
Federal Circuit Declines to Fix Forum Shopping in Patent Cases, Reform Still Needed
In a disappointing but unsurprising ruling, the Federal Circuit confirmed today that patent owners essentially have free rein to file suit in any tiny corner of the country, regardless of its minimal connection to the patent owner, the alleged infringer,… Read More ›
Keep Trolls out of Trade
Trade Protection Not Troll Protection Act Would Prevent Patent Trolls from Blocking Imports Patent trolls don’t just demand money from innovators; they can actually interfere with international trade and block imports from entering the country. There’s a new bill in… Read More ›