As a continuation of my last blog post, as promised, I will be discussing one example of patent litigation by NPEs in the real world. The following link discusses a lawsuit between Motorola and the infamous patent troll firm Intellectual Ventures (IV):
http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/26/motorola-intellectual-ventures/
Intellectual Ventures Background
- IV is a patent holding firm that is known for licensing out its portfolio to companies such as HTC and Samsung, but it has also built up a reputation as a patent troll, or a non-practicing entity
- In addition to a recently scored $17 million win against Symantec, IV has been involved with multiple lawsuits with Motorola over the course of the last few years
- IV does not view their actions as patent trolling, but rather as defending investor rights and protecting the interests of their investors and customers
- IV is one of the largest intellectual property owners in the world, having more than 70,000 patents and patent applications to its name
Intellectual Ventures vs. Motorola
- After a 2011 lawsuit ended in a mistrial, IV recently won a case against Motorola that pertained to multimedia messaging (MMS) technology (damages TBD)
- The two companies are going to start another lawsuit pertaining to a removable computing device patent this week
What is next for patent trolls?
- Intellectual Ventures and other companies like it have been accused by some in the technology industry of burdening innovation by using the patents they buy to pursue lawsuits instead of building products
- Such companies are a central focus of renewed Congressional efforts at patent reform, aimed at curbing litigation
- The America Invents Act which President Obama signed into law back in 2011 has ushered in a "first-to-file" patent system that has effectively combatted some of the loopholes employed by patent trolls
- Last year, the Supreme Court struck down an abstract software patent, which set a precedent against weak patents that merely captured the idea behind a piece of software.
Hey Mo, all I can say is wow. You put so much effort in researching about NPE's, and I feel like I learned a ton about what NPE is, and how Intellectual Ventures has been taking advantage of patent trolling. Maybe adding how much IV is looking to get from these lawsuits would also be interesting!
ReplyDeleteHi Mo,
ReplyDeleteGreat post describing Intellectual Ventures and how they are doing a good job as patent trolls. I read about this company before, and I like all the details you incorporated. My favorite aspect is your "what is next" section, this was insightful!
Awesome job yet again, Mo. The effort you have put into this assignment really shows! Fantastic description of the Intellectual Ventures situation -- couldn't have put it better myself. This was very insightful and informative. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteMo, you did a phenomenal job here! You briefly, yet concisely summarized the main points of this article.However, you should supply more of your own view could help aid the learning process for both yourself and the class, I mean, you are such a character that I would rather hear your opinions than what is factually correct!
ReplyDeleteMo,
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic post detailing Intellectual Ventures and how the patent operates now, and how it will in the future. It is nice to see the Supreme Court taking a stance against weak patent and patent trolls! Great work as always!