Mobile Advertising Firm Receives Encouraging Patent News From WIPO
CNNMoney.com: A tech business focused on delivering advertising to users on a variety of different gadget platforms has received an affirmative finding by the World International Property Office on the patentability of its "novel and inventive" technology. From MyScreen Technology Found to Be Patentable by the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) come further details:
MyScreen's mobile advertising solution is designed to integrate seamlessly without interrupting users' regular call behaviors. Subscribers choose the type of content and ads they receive from categories such as sports, entertainment, lifestyle and health. Advertisers can use MyScreen's unique "ad value hot keys" to raise brand awareness, launch products and services, promote special offers, generate traffic to retail locations, improve customer loyalty and drive sales. MyScreen has secured agreements with operators who currently have about 182 million mobile subscribers and expects that number to increase significantly during the next 12 months.
The award of WIPO patentability will help MyScreen become a world leading in mobile phone advertising and has encouraged the company to file for patents in a number of countries including "United States, Europe, China, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, UAE, Egypt, Canada and Australia."
Lexology: Believe it or not, China is becoming an attractive place for bio/pharma companies to patent their drug discoveries. Mia Qu and Bessie Ye report on this unlikeliest of IP combinations in their topical piece, Protecting biological and pharmaceutical intellectual property rights in China. Here's the introduction to the lengthy piece on why it's good for drug companies to move to China:
While many industries are struggling to survive the global financial meltdown, biological and pharmaceutical sectors remain active despite of the change of international economic climate. To many foreign companies, China remains attractive as the world"s largest potential market for medical and healthcare services. As biological and pharmaceutical products rely heavily on the protection of intellectual property rights ("IPRs"), it"s essential for foreign companies in this field to gain thorough understanding of China"s IPR protection system before entering this potentially largest market. This article outlines China"s legal framework for biological and pharmaceutical related IPRs with analysis of this unique IPR protection system and related IPR enforcement issues.
Qu and Ye's piece is detailed in its description of the many protections offered by the Chinese for a variety of singular discoveries, including pharmaceutical ones. There are even protections offered for traditional Chinese medicines that aren't limited to one holder. Let us not forget that there are over a *billion* people in China and they have medical needs, too, including medicines to help them remain healthy and happy.
RBR.com: Media content provider Comcast is looking to take over NBC Universal but the sticking point might not be what one would expect. Tim Ehrhart, vice president of Chubb & Son, offers his take on the complexities facing Comcast as they cast their net into the deep waters of IP risk and due diligence. In his related piece, Media Mergers: Lights, Camera, Risk?, Erhart suggests that the problem is not insurmountable but will take some fancy footwork to negotiate an equitable and fair agreement. "As Comcast ventures into new media territory, it’s important for it to focus on myriad of potential unknowns. For instance, content providers like NBC Universal manage intellectual property and licensing rights issues every day; however, cable and Internet providers may not be accustomed to addressing these matters in the same context, and therefore need to prepare accordingly." Being in the insurance business himself, Erhart suggests that media companies perform extra-careful due diligence *and* purchase an extended reporting period insurance policy, just in case something critical is overlooked that could cause a large problem for the acquiring company in the future.
FutureLab.net: For inventors, the Internet's greatest strength can also become it's largest liability: freedom of information. Brian Ling examines one instance of a brilliant design idea being stolen and reproduced without the consent of the original inventor in his recent entry, How to Manage Your Creative Work and Intellectual Property Online. He writes:
Whenever a design is shown to the public there is a chance it could get ripped off. Design awards, graduation shows, public critiques, discussions with model makers, even obtaining costing for prototypes are all possible avenues where a design could get stolen.
The Internet is no different. In fact, because of the power of the Internet’s reach, the chance could be higher. However I do find it interesting that designers take more precautions showing work at graduation shows or manufacturers than on the Internet.
This being said, I have to say that the case of the copied Pocket Light happens rarely, especially if the stolen design was just a concept. The reason because the additional work required in taking a concept to an actual product requires far more effort than just coming up with an idea. In many cases it is very difficult to do if the designer that came up with the idea is not part of the development team.
The fact that the design process necessary to come up with a salable idea is not something that can easily copied is small compensation for the inventor who loses a great deal of income through Internet theft of their hard-won idea but Ling feels the real reward is not monetary but renown among one's peers. Be sure to read the entire piece at the above link if Ling's ideas inspire any kind of opinion on the matter at all.
Patently-O: With the recent change in patent term adjustments at the US Patent and Trademark Office, a veritable flood of requests is expected to hit the office in short order. Invalidity of the Extension of a Patent Term takes a peek at this coming storm that can only increase the time it takes of overloaded patent examiners to do their jobs. "Thousands of requests will be filed in the next couple of weeks asking the USPTO to recalculate the patent term adjustment (PTA) owed to recently issued US patents" the author writes, and suggests that the extension might be overstepping the legal boundaries of the USPTO and end in tears for patent seekers. "...[T]he PTO's approach of offering a second-window for recalculation could be seen as improperly extending the agency's authority. The PTO's improper extension of authority to adjust PTA is unlikely to leave a patent invalid." Whoops! That's just the opposite of what's supposed to happen to patent applicants seeking an extension. Looks like there will be a lawsuit or two in the offing unless a legal precedent is found for the USPTO's new-found extensibility motion.
Bonus IP piece o' the day: Patent infringement lawsuits raking in the big bucks at ArsTechnica.com by Jacqui Cheng.
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