Nokia’s huge licensing margins; US patent suits up; Apple in China IP buying spree; AI patent first in South Africa; Tech innovators’ diversity pledge; 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
Changes at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board have transformed the inter partes review environment for companies in the life sciences sector. Kramer Levin’s Hannah Lee and Irena Royzman provide crucial strategic insights that can help both rights holders and petitioners prevail. Read more here
MONDAY 26 July
Patent sales made by Virginia-based R&D outfit Ofinno to the likes of Xiaomi, Honda and Samsung indicate there is already a strong secondary market for 5G assets. Read more here
After six months of waiting there is still no nominee to be the next Director of the USPTO. That may be down to raw politics rather than Biden Administration indifference. Read more here
TUESDAY 27 July
It should be no surprise that Apple is the only foreign entity to be named on a list of the top patent buyers in China during 2020. Read more here
Following a recent Executive Order issued by the White House, the FTC is likely to make tough new rules on reverse-payment settlements. Read more here
The number of patent suits filed in US district courts this year is forecast to be above 4,000 for the first time since 2016. Read more here
WEDNESDAY 28 July
Nokia’s clash with Oppo has brought big ticket patent litigation to Indonesia, a jurisdiction that offers decisions delivered in six months and injunctions. Read more here
On the face of it, the reported award of a South African patent to an invention created by artificial intelligence looks like a major milestone. The reality, though, may be somewhat different. Read more here
THURSDAY 29 July
Tencent has rolled out the first commercial use of VVC technology. This emphasises just how important Chinese companies will be to the development of the space’s patent landscape. Read more here
The latest in a series of unpredictable decisions on the validity of drug species patents could spell trouble for pharma innovators in India. Read more here
Nokia’s second quarter financial results show that its IP licensing business operates on margins that far exceed those of the company overall. Read more here
FRIDAY 30 July
Patents are emerging as a key weapon in the fiercely competitive Chinese battery market, with the injunction-friendly Intermediate Court of Fuzhou set to be the scene of the latest dust-up. Read more here
Data confirms that Via Licensing’s new patent pool covers close to 90% of relevant MPEG-H 3D Audio rights, with only Qualcomm and Technicolor among major innovators on the outside. Read more here
An AI-created invention may have been granted a patent in South Africa, but the right is extremely fragile and is unlikely to survive any legal challenge. Read more here
SATURDAY 31 July
Dozens of tech businesses have promised to track patenting performance among women and other under-represented inventor groups and share the data. This must only be the start. Read more here
