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Federal Circuit Split Decision on 'Public Accessibility' of Internet Posting
Do Internet postings constitute 'printed publications' that are available as prior art under 35 U.S.C. '102(b)? Most practitioners and examiners behave as though this were a settled question. It is not. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently addressed this issue in SRI International v. Internet Security Systems and Symantec, 2008 WL 68679 (Fed. Cir. 2008). After much discussion of the principle of 'public accessibility,' the majority of the panel determined that there was a genuine issue of material fact as to whether a paper that SRI posted on its Internet server was a printed publication.
The Case
SRI sued Internet Security Systems and Symantec for infringement of its cyber security and intrusion detection patents. On summary judgment, the district court judge held that SRI's patents were invalid under 35 U.S.C. '102(b) because they were anticipated by SRI's posting of its own unfinished paper, the 'Live Traffic' paper, on the SRI Web site. In a 2-1 split panel decision, the Federal Circuit vacated the district court's summary judgment ruling of invalidity based on the Live Traffic paper, finding that there were unresolved issues of fact about the public accessibility of the paper.
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.
The Article 8 Opt In
The Article 8 opt-in election adds an additional layer of complexity to the already labyrinthine rules governing perfection of security interests under the UCC. A lender that is unaware of the nuances created by the opt in (may find its security interest vulnerable to being primed by another party that has taken steps to perfect in a superior manner under the circumstances.
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.
Legal Possession: What Does It Mean?
Possession of real property is a matter of physical fact. Having the right or legal entitlement to possession is not "possession," possession is "the fact of having or holding property in one's power." That power means having physical dominion and control over the property.
The Anti-Assignment Override Provisions
UCC Sections 9406(d) and 9408(a) are one of the most powerful, yet least understood, sections of the Uniform Commercial Code. On their face, they appear to override anti-assignment provisions in agreements that would limit the grant of a security interest. But do these sections really work?