Companies around the world have been carefully interpreting how the continued influx of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) may affect their respective online presence. According to the latest research from digital branding specialists at Melbourne IT DBS, larger firms should be careful not to let their trademark management strategies wander too far from traditional .com domains, however.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded Amazon a new patent which broadly allows the company to establish a marketplace for the resale of digital goods including eBooks, computer applications, audio and visual files. Copyright attorneys are already expressing concerns as they begin to interpret the legality and commercial implications of this move.

Smartphones have earned a reputation for being a disruptive technology within the business community in recent years, unlocking previously unimaginable productivity gains and introducing commensurate security risks. According to Business Software Alliance chairman Clayton Noble, one of the lesser known emerging threats are the copyright complications created by employees using pirated mobile applications.

The Brookings Institute made a significant contribution to the intellectual property community's research literature this week with the release of a comprehensive report examining U.S. regional patent trends from 1980 to 2012. By comparing and contrasting patent filings and commercial activities among all 360 of the nation's metropolitan areas, Brookings analysts were able to offer several intriguing theories regarding the role of intellectual property management in shaping urban development and driving long-term economic prosperity.

The Brookings Institute made a significant contribution to the intellectual property community's research literature this week with the release of a comprehensive report examining U.S. regional patent trends from 1980 to 2012. By comparing and contrasting patent filings and commercial activities among all 360 of the nation's metropolitan areas, Brookings analysts were able to offer several intriguing theories regarding the role of intellectual property management in shaping urban development and driving long-term economic prosperity.

Last month, U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh denied a motion filed by Apple that would have banned sales of several new Samsung Galaxy smartphones until patent litigation between the two companies was ultimately resolved. Apple has since attempted to appeal the decision to a higher court, but encountered a similar answer earlier this week.

As the tenure of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director David Kappos comes to an end this week, patent community pundits have been attempting to summarize the events and determine the legacy of his three-and-a-half-year run. Kappos was gracious enough to sit down with two leading publications to offer his own take as well.

Newegg, a leading online retailer of electronic accessories, saw its persistence pay off last week as a patent dispute involving fundamental ecommerce technologies fell in its favor after a lengthy appeals process.

The digital distribution of audio files has introduced countless questions and inspired impassioned debate over music copyright laws in recent years. Interestingly enough, it may actually be the electronic nature of today's production methods that create the next wave of royalty management controversies.

The monetary and strategic value of intellectual property has consistently grown as markets around the world tilt toward an economy that is majority knowledge-based. While this realization is not lost on today's companies, some suggest that the fear of protracted litigation is keeping them from exploring more aggressive patent management strategies.