The University of Michigan's Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) has gotten off to a fast start this semester, shedding new light on its methods, strategies and results in a series of formal and informal events on campus.

In April of this year, Microsoft filed a patent infringement suit against Motorola Mobility in Germany. According to a recent blog post by Florian Mueller, the complaint is the latest in a line of actions brought by Microsoft (as well as Apple) against several Android-based devices and services. This one involves an attack on the basis of Google Maps – a step closer to a frontal assault on Google itself. Indeed, the significant piece of news reported by Mueller, who was present in the German courtroom for the first hearing in the case, was an announcement by counsel that Microsoft intends to add Google, Inc to the complaint. Motorola Mobility is, of course, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Google. Microsoft will add Google in an effort to directly examine Google, Inc witnesses as to their knowledge of the alleged infringement, there being no other third-party discovery avenues under German rules, as contrasted with U.S. civil litigation rules.

Numerous critics have highlighted the frivolous nature and caustic tone that has, at times, been associated with the smartphone patent wars in recent months. But amid this contentious litigation between multinational corporations, smaller firms have gleaned valuable lessons on how to monetize their own intellectual property portfolios.

MIPS, a leading semiconductor design firm, has announced an ambitious new strategy involving the sale of its patents and acquisition of its operating components by two separate companies.

The relationship between Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) provisions and social media has grown increasingly complex in recent months as regulators have become more vigilant and efficient in their removal of infringing content on sites such as YouTube and Reddit. As both sides continue to navigate the implications of evolving digital copyright rules, Twitter is seeking the bring a degree of transparency to the process.

Since the passage of the Bayh-Dole Act in 1980, there has been a steady rise in the commercialization of university intellectual property. While much of this progress can be attributed to faculty researchers, new data from the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) suggests that students are more prepared than ever to amass and monetize their own patent portfolios.

Pandora, Clear Channel and nearly a dozen more internet radio companies and trade associations have formed the Internet Radio Fairness Coalition to express their support for two landmarks bills currently being floated in Congress. The reforms are intended to promote a more equitable and technologically savvy royalty management framework, but some are wondering whose interests would truly be served under the proposed legislation.

Samsung may have scored an important victory in the smartphone patent wars this week after a Dutch court dismissed claims that the South Korean mobile device manufacturer had infringed upon Apple's touchscreen technology. However, the American tech giant insisted that the ruling could soon be overshadowed by the result of a Department of Justice-led investigation into Samsung's patent licensing tactics.

The Center for Copyright Information (CCI) will reportedly roll out its long-awaited Copyright Alert System (CAS) within the next few weeks. This new protocol will streamline communications between media publishers and internet service providers to identify infringing content posted online and deter illegal downloads.

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) was founded in 2007 and assured $3 billion of state funding over the next 10 years. Since 2009, the organization trails only the National Institutes of Health as the nation's largest distributor of cancer research grants. However, several prominent scientists have resigned from their positions at CPRIT and have suggested the agency may be perverting its scientific mission and focusing too heavily on the commercialization of medical innovations.