Innovation Asset Blog

Patent dispute takes Samsung tablet off US shelves

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh sided with Apple this week in a patent dispute that will now prevent Samsung from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in the United States. This marks a significant decision for the mobile marketplace, as Apple has effectively stunted the growth of one of the few legitimate rivals to its industry-leading iPad.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

White House solicits public comment on IP enforcement

With legislators still struggling to craft an appropriate solution to the hot-button issue of digital copyright enforcement, the Obama administration has extended an olive branch to the general public in hopes of inspiring productive conversations.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

Report: Foreign-born students fueling university IP activity

As students from around the world migrate to the United States to take advantage of superior post-secondary education opportunities, it appears as though American colleges and universities are getting as much as they give. According to the latest report released by the Partnership for a New American Economy, foreign-born students are behind 76 percent of the patents awarded to the nation's top 10 patent-generating schools.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

Report: IP rights bring innovation, profits to biotechnology industry

Biotechnology firms have traditionally been among the most active patrons of the U.S. patent system, filing applications to protect initial ideas and issuing licenses to monetize inventions and further their development. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) has underscored the power of this relationship once again by quantifying the effects of intellectual property management at all levels of the research life cycle.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

USPTO extends post-final rejection review program

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has extended the window for its After Final Consideration Pilot (AFCP) in order to further evaluate the program. The pilot program is now set to end on September 30, pushed back from the original June 16 close date.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

Research investigates IP activity of successful startups

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has consistently embraced the role of facilitator in its dealings with the entrepreneurial community. But as dynamic technologies have posed new questions to the American intellectual property system, not all inventors have been pleased with the answers. To sort out fact from fiction in the complicated relationship between the two sides, attorney Leonid Kravets recently adopted a unique empirical approach.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

USPTO offers progress report to Congress

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director David Kappos made his way to Capitol Hill this week to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the first oversight hearing for the America Invents Act. Kappos reported consistent compliance with the legislation's prescribed implementation framework and elaborated on future strategies for bringing harmony to the international patent system.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

Technology transfer takes center stage in congressional forum

The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology convened this week for an in-depth discussion on how universities can start turning federally funded research projects into private-sector innovation. Legislators were joined by delegates from the Association of University Technology Managers, several state colleges and the Maryland Technology Development Corporation.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

Patent expiry puts drugmaker on path to innovation

As pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb prepares for the impending expiration of patent protection on its flagship heart attack and stroke medication, Plavix, the company has taken itself out of the running for producing a generic version of the drug and will instead focus on developing the industry's next innovation.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

International treaty set to protect audiovisual performance rights

Although musical artists have enjoyed the benefit of copyright protections for decades, their counterparts on the silver screen have not been so lucky in the field of intellectual property management. But after years of negotiations, World Intellectual Property Organization officials seem convinced that audiovisual performers will soon be afforded the same "economic and moral rights" that protect musicians.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

Professor suggests novel textbook copyright protection strategy

College students have been gravitating toward the idea of digital textbooks for several years, but copyright protection has been one of the few issues standing in the way of widespread acceptance in the academic publishing community. University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras professor Joseph Vogel believes he may have a solution that serves all sides, however, with the debut of a new incentive-based system.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

Berkeley professors outline new patent strategy for tech sector

The technology sector has long been regarded as a crucial engine of American innovation, but many fear that recent intellectual property disputes could compromise industry progress. In an effort to bring sanity and civility to the patent litigation landscape, professors Jason Schulz and Jennifer Urban from the University of California - Berkeley recently outlined a new approach to addressing stakeholder concerns.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

Patent system retains promise for software developers

At the recent D10 conference hosted by All Things Digital, Apple CEO Tim Cook was the latest voice from the software development community suggesting that the current U.S. patent system is "broken" and could be standing in the way of innovation. But although most regulatory bodies will concede that there is room for improvement, the intellectual property management incentives embedded in the current system still have plenty to offer savvy software developers.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

Incorporating IP management into onboarding processes

As bright, young startups expand to become established market players, intellectual property management should be part of the discussion each time they extend an offer of employment to a new hire. Far too many companies, according to Corporate Counsel, don't realize the intellectual capital they have invested in an employee until that worker moves on to another opportunity.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

Report: Corporate data protection plans overlook IP

Following the surge of corporate data breaches reported in recent months, companies across industries have been revising data protection protocols to keep a tighter grip on sensitive customer data. However, it appears that a number of organizations are still leaving their intellectual assets without the benefit of similar security measures.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

Patent expiry puts Irish jobs on the line

Pharmaceutical manufacturers in Ireland are preparing to learn a hard lesson regarding the relationship between patent management and employment prospects. As Pfizer continues to sort out the implications of its impending patent cliffs, the drugmaker has decided to eliminate nearly 180 positions from plants across the European country.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

Survey: Attorneys unprepared for digital trademark management risks

As a greater proportion of commercial activities migrate to digital platforms, companies are quickly realizing that trademark management strategies must be as vigilant online as they have been offline. But according to the latest survey conducted by branding experts from Melbourne IT DBS, the legal community is not yet fully prepared to advise potential clients on the risks that could await them on the digital frontier.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

Patent system becoming scapegoat of cancer drug shortages

As prescription drugs from major manufacturers like Pfizer and Merck prepare to come off patent, stakeholders on all sides of the healthcare community are coming to understand the relationship between intellectual property and the economics of the industry. However, following the release of a new survey detailing a critical shortage of cancer drugs in American hospitals, a variety of misunderstandings have converged to make the patent system an undeserving scapegoat for the issues at hand.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.

Congress may ask companies to shelter sensitive patents

The current class of U.S. legislators is keenly aware of the role intellectual property plays in supporting global competitiveness, as evidenced by the passage of the first large-scale patent system reforms in five decades with the America Invents Act. However, reports have emerged to suggest that Congressional leaders may be willing to limit the functionality of current intellectual property frameworks in the interest of economic security.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.