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On 'Patent Trolls' and Injunctive Relief
I find it rather ironic that at the same time I was speaking on the subject of 'Patent Trolls' at the Patent Strategies 2006 conference in New York, in Washington, DC, the Su-preme Court was deliberating this very topic in connection with eBay's appeal of an injunction granted to MercExchange by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. 'The long-anticipated eBay case gets to the heart of the debate over so-called patent trolls ' companies that obtain patents only to license them, often using the threat of an injunction to extract a high price from infringers.' Woellert, L.: eBay Takes on the Patent Trolls. Business Week, March 30, 2006. One of the arguments that eBay made was that non-practicing inventors, quaintly nicknamed 'patent trolls,' should not be entitled to an injunction as a matter of course. This suggestion, however, seems to fly in the face of the Constitution, patent law, and common sense. Here are 10 reasons why injunctive relief should not be tied to practice of an invention:
1) 'The Congress shall have power ' To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries ' ' (U.S. Constitution, Article I, '8.) The language of the Constitution guarantees 'the exclusive right' (ie, right to exclude by getting an injunction) to authors and inventors without qualifying that these authors should sing their own songs if they are song writers, play their own music if they are composers, act in their own plays if they are playwrights, or that inventors should build and sell their own inventions. Just as it would be absurd to put such limitations in copyright law by tying the exclusive right of authors to the performance of their creative works, so it is equally absurd in patent law to tie injunctive relief to the practice of an invention. Moreover, it would be unconstitutional.
Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult Coin
With each successive large-scale cyber attack, it is slowly becoming clear that ransomware attacks are targeting the critical infrastructure of the most powerful country on the planet. Understanding the strategy, and tactics of our opponents, as well as the strategy and the tactics we implement as a response are vital to victory.
Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws
This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough
There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.
Beach Boys Songs Written Decades Ago Triggered Current Quarrel With Lawyers
There's current litigation in the ongoing Beach Boys litigation saga. A lawsuit filed in 2019 against Nevada residents Mike Love and his wife Jacquelyne in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada that alleges inaccurate payment by the Loves under the retainer agreement and seeks $84.5 million in damages.
Removing Restrictive Covenants In New York
In Rockwell v. Despart, the New York Supreme Court, Third Department, recently revisited a recurring question: When may a landowner seek judicial removal of a covenant restricting use of her land?