Our ongoing Reclaim Invention campaign urges universities not to sell patents to trolls. This month’s stupid patent provides a good example of why. US Patent No. 8,473,532 (the ’532 patent), “Method and apparatus for automatic organization for computer files,” began… Read More ›
Tag Archive for ‘Patents’
Patents Are A Big Part Of Why We Can’t Own Nice Things: the Supreme Court Should Fix That
Today, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could allow companies to keep a dead hand of control over their products, even after you buy them. The case, Impression Products v. Lexmark International, is on appeal from the… Read More ›
One Step Closer to Reclaiming University Innovation From Trolls
Last year, EFF, along with our partner organizations, launched Reclaim Invention, a campaign to encourage universities across the country to commit to adopting patent policies that advance the public good. Reclaim Invention asks universities to focus on by bringing their… Read More ›
Stupid Patent of the Month: IBM Patents Out-of-Office Email
Update: March 1, 2017 Today IBM told Ars Technica that it “has decided to dedicate the patent to the public.” While this is just one patent in IBM’s massive portfolio, we are glad to learn that it has declared it… Read More ›
Digital Rights Issues on the Horizon at the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court already has a list of digital civil liberties issues to consider in the near future, and that list is likely to grow. If confirmed, President Donald Trump’s nominee to fill the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat on… Read More ›
Stupid Patent of the Month: A Lyrics Website With User Interaction
Song lyrics are some of the most searched-for topics on the Internet. This has lead to fierce competition among lyrics sites. If you scroll to the bottom of one of these websites, you’ll see the claim: “Song discussions is protected… Read More ›
EFF To Patent Office: Supreme Court Limits On Abstract Patents Are a Good Thing
EFF has submitted comments to the Patent Office urging it not to support efforts to undermine the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Alice v. CLS Bank. The Patent Office had called for public submissions regarding whether “legislative changes are desirable”… Read More ›
The Patent Troll Abides: 2016 in Review
Patent trolls were down but certainly not out in 2016. After a massive burst of litigation at the end of last year, we saw a noticeable drop in patent troll lawsuits at the start of this one. But trolls began… Read More ›
Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Case that Could End Texas’ Grip on Patent Cases
The Supreme Court has granted certiorari in TC Heartland v. Kraft Foods, a case that effectively asks the court to decide whether patent owners can sue in practically any corner of the country. EFF supported TC Heartland, the petitioner, at… Read More ›
Supreme Court Curbs Excessive Design Patent Damages
The Supreme Court issued an important ruling today in the long-running patent battle between Apple and Samsung. The appeal involved some of Apple’s infamous design patents on rounded corners. The Federal Circuit had ruled that Apple was entitled to all… Read More ›