2011 was chock-full of important IP headlines, what with the passage of the America Invents Act, record-breaking patent purchases by companies involved in the smartphone wars, Kodak’s attempts to sell its patents, and more. Now that it’s 2012, there are a few potentially important patent and trademark cases on the horizon. Let’s take a look at four of them.

Oracle America, Inc. v. Google Inc.

Wealth of Ideas, December 2011

The last few issues of Wealth of Ideas have dealt extensively with the passage of the America Invents Act and what it means for everyone involved with IP, so this month we take a look back at what else happened in IP in 2011.

Wealth of Ideas, November 2011

Last month, we gave a partial timetable of some of the changes that the America Invents Act will make to U.S. patent law as we know it, and when they take effect. In this month’s follow-up article, we’ll explore how the AIA is likely to affect the unique contingency patent enforcement business model that General Patent pioneered and has fine-tuned over the last 24 years.

First-to-File

Wealth of Ideas, October 2011

The America Invents Act: What changes now, and what changes down the road?

Wealth of Ideas, September 2011

As we all know, the Senate passed the House version of the America Invents Act (AIA) on September 8 and President Obama signed it into law last Friday. Supporters claim the legislation is crucial to job growth.

Wealth of Ideas, August 2011

Should human genes be patentable? That was the issue at the core of the Myriad gene patent case which was initiated in part by the ACLU. A recent appeals court ruling seems to have turned the tide back in Myriad’s favor, but this case will very likely make it to the Supreme Court before it’s resolved.

A Brief Background of the Case

Wealth of Ideas Newsletter, July 2011

On June 23, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1249, its version of the America Invents Act. In March of this year, the Senate passed its version of the bill (S. 23).

Wealth of Ideas Newsletter, June 2011

This summer, the big news in IP is a patent enforcement campaign centered on an upgrade feature in the apps used in the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. It’s nothing new for Apple to be sued. What makes this legal battle different is that it wasn’t Apple itself, but rather the independent iOS app developers, who were targeted as infringers.

Lodsys and Its Patent

Wealth of Ideas Newsletter, May 2011

Despite promises from the President and high-profile initiatives at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), last month’s House of Representatives-Senate-White House compromise Fiscal 2011 Federal Budget sliced $100 million from the agency’s 2011 budget. And that means that improvements large and small will just have to wait…indefinitely.

Wealth of Ideas Newsletter, April 2011

After passage of the Senate bill S. 23, the America Invents Act, on March 8, the House of Representatives wasted no time in developing its own America Invents Act, H.R. 1249, that the House Judiciary Committee unveiled on March 24. So how is the House bill similar to the Senate bill – and where have the House members chosen to part ways with their Senate counterparts?

More of the Same (Mostly)