Technology Media and Telecom

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's fiscal year 2009 annual report indicates declining revenue and patent filings. Notably, there was both a dip in the backlog of patent applications and an increase in the time it takes for the agency to issue a patent. Some lawyers believe the former can be attributed in part to applicants abandoning applications because of the economic downturn.

In-house lawyers can do great good for their companies by deploying IP assets to realize direct monetary return for their companies, but they are under more pressure to reduce expenses because of the inaccurate perception that IP-related expenses do not add to the bottom line, a perception that stems from accounting conventions.

Cyber Monday, three days after Black Friday (the traditional start of the holiday shopping season for bricks-and-mortar retail outlets), was its usual hit with e-tailers in 2009 ' in fact, the largest yet in terms of sales. Comprehensive final sales figures weren't available by press time, but it appears that online shopping at the start of the holiday season was up at least 5% over 2008.

The regulations that the Federal Trade Commission recently promulgated on product endorsements could result in injunctions for bloggers and advertisers, who could be ordered to reimburse consumers for financial losses stemming from product reviews that are considered inappropriate under the new guidance.

Everyone who has ever worked on a tech project, whether in e-commerce or general business, has probably seen situations in which an assumed solution creates a bigger mess than the original problem. It's called the law of unintended consequences. A recent federal appellate ruling shows how this rule can work in the law.

This article discusses the trend toward increased corporate litigation investment, preparedness and use of internal and external resources to simplify the process of responding to document-intensive requests. It also highlights recent common-law examples of where corporate litigation preparedness and/or response efforts have fallen short, resulting in costly consequences.

Changes in the business environment for law, and IP law in particular, have prompted many IP-based practitioners and executives to seek opportunities that leverage their deep understanding of IP, the process of innovation, and the value of intangible assets. It is therefore both fitting and proper that Patent Strategy & Management feature an article that addresses this search.

On Sept. 11, 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Court issued an opinion in the case of Lucent Technologies Inc. et al. v. Gateway Inc. et al. In its ruling, the CAFC found that "the damages evidence of record was neither very powerful, nor presented very well by either party" and that the plaintiff's damages calculation "lacked sufficient evidentiary support." The CAFC therefore vacated the district court's award and remanded the case for a new trial on damages.