What if we told you the Stupid Patent of the Month has a sponsor, but we don’t know who it is? That would seem shady, wouldn’t it? This month’s stupid patent, U.S. Patent No. 9,986,435, was brought to you—to all… Read More ›
Tag Archive for ‘Patents’
Two Ways The U.S. Patent Office Could Do Better At Examination
The patent examination process is rife with problems. Too often, patent law supports applicants seeking unwarranted monopolies—not the public interest. That’s why we get things like Amazon’s patent on white-background photography. This is especially true when it comes to software… Read More ›
Stupid Patent of the Month: Digital Verification Systems Patents E-Signatures
Patent trolls make patents, and argue over them. They don’t have to ever make the thing described in their patents, if it’s even possible to determine what those things are. Instead, they generate legal threats and waste the time and… Read More ›
Seeing Patent Trolls Clearly: 2022 in Review
The internet can be a powerful tool for communicating, collaborating, and finding community. But lawsuits and threats from patent trolls have been an obstacle to the dream of a free and open internet. That’s why EFF has been fighting back… Read More ›
Victory! Judge’s Critical Investigation of Patent Troll Companies Can Move Forward
In recent months, Delaware-based U.S. District Court Judge Colm Connolly started an inquiry into some patent trolling companies that have filed dozens of lawsuits in his court. Last month, lawyers for the patent troll companies appealed to the U.S. Court… Read More ›
This Judge’s Investigation Of Patent Trolls Must Be Allowed to Move Forward
If you get sued, you should be able to figure out who sued you. Remarkably, though, people and companies who are accused of patent infringement in federal court often have no idea who is truly behind the lawsuit. Patent trolls,… Read More ›
New Bill Would Bring Back Terrible Software and Genetic Patents
A recently introduced patent bill would authorize patents on abstract ideas just for including computer jargon, and would even legalize the patenting of human genes. The “Patent Eligibility Restoration Act,” sponsored by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), explicitly overrides some of… Read More ›
Patent Troll Uses Ridiculous "People Finder" Patent to Sue Small Dating Companies
Finding people near you with shared interests, and talking to them, has a very long history in human culture. We’re social animals. We need to find other people close to us to work together with, play games with, and build… Read More ›
Podcast Episode: Making Hope, with Adam Savage
The joy of tinkering, making, and sharing is part of the human condition. In modern times, this creative freedom too often is stifled by secrecy as a means of monetization – from non-compete laws to quashing people’s right to repair… Read More ›
Fighting For A More Open, Balanced Patent System: 2021 in Review
At EFF, we’ve always stood up for the freedom to tinker and innovate. Unfortunately, our patent system doesn’t promote those freedoms. In some areas, like software, it’s causing much more harm than good. And the system is rife with patent… Read More ›