Huawei IP strategy shift; Vidal’s top challenges; Patent litigation finance boom; Senators act on PTAB reform; Why the EU should let SEP licensing be; plus much more
Everything we covered on IAM over the last seven days – and all you need to know from the global IP market to set yourself up for the start of another busy week
The Long Read
IAM’s Diversity 100 is a listing of the entities with the greatest proportion of female inventors named on US patent grants maintained between 1 January 2010 and 1 January 2022. It is dominated by life sciences companies and is a timely reminder of the importance of targeted and early recruitment, as well as inclusion programmes that genuinely promote parity. Read more here
MONDAY 4 April
Following the latest major US CRISPR decision, the head of IP at a key player in the space argues that tricky patent landscapes are the new normal in biotech. Read more here
WiLAN may soon be up for sale and Docket Navigator data shows that its subsidiaries have filed 302 lawsuits since 2008, while facing 160 IPRs. Read more here
TUESDAY 5 April
Some key costs of doing business with the Japan Patent Office have nearly doubled since 1 April, while a new examination change could see applicants paying for more claims. Read more here
Ireland’s lack of progress in organising a referendum to allow accession to the UPC should concern anyone who wants to see the system’s common law elements utilised to the full. Read more here
A new report on litigation finance reveals that patent lawsuits attracted 29% of the $2.8 billion that funders allocated to 426 deals in 2021. Read more here
WEDNESDAY 6 April
Kathi Vidal has been confirmed as Director of the USPTO on a voice vote in the Senate that came half-a-year after her nomination by President Joe Biden. Read more here
A briefing on IP strategy delivered to Huawei chairman Ren Zhengfei shows the company shifting from a defensive-minded approach to patents but also lays out the case against royalty maximalism. Read more here
THURSDAY 7 April
After Kathi Vidal’s long-awaited Senate confirmation, the new USPTO Director has plenty on her plate and some unavoidably controversial decisions to make. Read more here
Applications to the European Patent Office have bounced back quickly from their covid-induced blip in 2020, but other functions are yet to return to normal. Read more here
The chair and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee's IP sub-committee are working on legislation to reform the PTAB, and could soon be ready to go public with their proposals. Read more here
FRIDAY 8 April
The patent battle between Maxell and Amperex Technology Limited, two lithium-ion battery makers, has expanded into China from the US. Read more here
Recent UK decisions in an epic pharma patent battle involving Neurim and Mylan may benefit generic companies seeking to stay injunctions. Read more here
In her first public appearance since stepping down from the Federal Circuit, Kathleen O’Malley argued that the US Supreme Court has bought into patent troll hype. Read more here
Research on metaverse patents shows leadership in the US and China, as well as significant assets assigned to IBM, Microsoft and other major IP-owning companies. Read more here
SATURDAY 9 April
In connectivity, the EU currently enjoys a level of technology hard power and security that it would be unwise to imperil with a needless redesign of the SEP licensing regime. Read more here
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