intellectual property - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Dropbox: A file sharer's dream tool?

  The folks behind Dropbox have not been having an easy time recently. First it was suggested their PC client might be insecure, then changes in their terms and conditions raised security concerns.

• Why Samsung took the Apple patent battle international

  It is no surprise that Samsung retaliated against Apple's claims of patent infringement with some patent accusations of its own, but the fact that Samsung chose to file lawsuits internationally against Apple in three different countries seems a bit perplexing. While it may seem like a random move on the part of Samsung to include the world in the patent silliness, there is a method to the madness.

• Oracle-Google case could be decided by November

  The judge hearing Oracle's Java patent lawsuit against Google hopes to get the case wrapped up before the end of November, he said Wednesday, but it won't help his cause that the U.S. patent office has agreed to reexamine Oracle's patents in the case.

• US woman pleads guilty to selling counterfeit software

  A Michigan woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge related to selling more than US$400,000 worth of counterfeit software on a website, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

• Samsung to strike back against Apple's patent suit

  Samsung has vowed revenge over Apple's recent lawsuit against the electronics maker that claims Samsung "slavishly" copied Apple's iOS devices for its line of Android-based Galaxy smartphones and tablets. Apple is reportedly miffed at Samsung for taking technologies and design ideas such as organizing application icons into grids and making smartphones with rounded corners. "Rather than innovate ... Samsung chose to copy Apple's technology, user interface, and innovative style in these infringing products," Apple argued in its filing. Samsung isn't taking the charge lightly and says it will "respond actively to this legal action," according to Agence France-Presse.

• Apple sues Samsung, says it copied iPad

  Apple has sued Samsung for allegedly copying the iPad, iPod and iPhone with its Galaxy Tab and Galaxy handsets.

• Justices question Microsoft's vision of patent law

  U.S. Supreme Court justices questioned Monday whether they should side with Microsoft and weaken the legal standard needed to invalidate a patent, with some justices suggesting there are alternatives to changing established law.

• Supreme Court to hear Microsoft, i4i case Monday

  Patent attorneys and inventors of all types are closely watching a Microsoft case that the U.S. Supreme Court will start to consider on Monday.

• Motorola Solutions, Huawei settle dueling lawsuits

  Long-time partners Huawei Technologies and Motorola Solutions have agreed to settle trade secrets lawsuits against each other, the companies announced.

• Judge in Oracle-Google case gets a lesson in Java

  Lawyers for Oracle and Google gave the judge overseeing their Java patent dispute a tutorial on Wednesday that underscored the complexity of the case between the two companies.

• Lawmakers question if search engines contribute to piracy

  Search engines should stop showing results for websites that infringe copyright and sell counterfeit products, or be held accountable, some U.S. lawmakers and witnesses said Wednesday during a hearing on digital piracy.

• Yahoo unhappy over Italian court's ruling on search

  Yahoo is unhappy with a recent ruling in an Italian court that ordered the company to remove links from its search engine that lead to pirated copies of an Iranian movie.

• More foreign brands use China's Taobao for e-commerce

  More foreign brands like Adidas and Gap are expanding their reach into China's market by tapping the user base of the country's largest online retailer Taobao.com.

• China's Baidu to compensate songwriters for music downloads

  China's largest search engine Baidu said it will start paying an agency representing songwriters for every music download on the site, after years of being criticized for providing links to pirated music downloads.

• Baidu's online library shrinks following piracy cleanup

  China's largest search engine Baidu is deleting millions of documents from its online library platform, in response to growing criticism from a group of authors that the company offers pirated copies of their works.