The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comment on a proposal that would allow for broad investigation into the business practices of so-called patent assertion entities (PAEs). The government agency would use its power of subpoena to examine the activities of approximately 40 organizations, 15 of which would be centered in the wireless communications sector.

The American Southwest continues to be an emerging hub of technology transfer activities as Mayo Clinic recently confirmed its decision to join the Arizona Furnace startup accelerator program.

The escalation of patent lawsuit filings has been discussed many times in recent years, but the latest statistics surrounding the geographic concentration of that activity may still be surprising to some. According to an analysis conducted by Perkins Coie partner James Pistorino, more than 45 percent of U.S. patent cases were filed in either Delaware of the Eastern District of Texas so far in 2013.

For online music streaming service Pandora, the breadth of its song catalog is a key determinant of the value it represents to customers. Following a recent district court judgment, the company should now be assured full access to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) catalog through 2015.

The USPTO's Transitional Program for Covered Business Method Patents was specifically installed to dissolve confusion surrounding the validity of financial product and service patents. The framework will soon receive its next test from Branch Banking and Trust (BB&T), which hopes to deflect an infringement suit regarding the electronic transfer of funds.

When a company is first getting operations up off the ground, the majority of its assets are likely to be intellectual in nature. Startups that fail to protect those resources accordingly could consequently risk spoiling any early success with legal troubles down the line.

Honeywell's proposed acquisition of mobile manufacturing hardware leader Intermec had raised the interest of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's antitrust enforcement teams. However, federal officials have now come up with a creative patent licensing solution they believe should uphold fair market competition.

The escalating power of today's analytical technologies and the endless creativity of their users have combined to answer vast social, political and commercial questions in recent years. This month, two inquiries into the geographical context of intellectual assets have revealed intriguing conclusions.

As digital piracy poses problems for a widening array of industries, authorities have shown interest in employing graduated response systems to counteract illicit online activity. However, emerging research suggests that this measured approach is currently an insufficient solution to the challenges presented.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has become an increasingly popular natural gas extraction method in recent years. However, emerging research suggests that patents surrounding the proprietary materials and processes employed by energy corporations may be inadvertently inhibiting industry-wide progress.