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• Apple, Microsoft consortium beats Google for Nortel patents

  Nortel Networks has auctioned off its remaining patents and patent applications to a consortium of key technology companies for a cash purchase price of US$4.5 billion.

• Kodak patent case against Apple, RIM sent back to judge

  A ruling on Eastman Kodak's patent case against Apple and Research In Motion may be delayed until August after the U.S. International Trade Commission sent the issue back to a judge who had earlier ruled against Kodak.

• Microsoft signs two patent deals for Android devices

  Microsoft signed two deals this week with companies that agreed to pay royalties for technology used in Android devices, following a similar deal the software giant made with HTC last year.

• US House approves patent reform bill

  The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to approve a bill that would overhaul the U.S. patent system and allow for a new review of patents after they are approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

• TI signs license deal after Eolas patent lawsuit

  Texas Instruments said Thursday it has agreed to license two patents from Eolas Technologies, which two years ago sued more than 20 companies for alleged patent infringement including TI, Google, Yahoo, Apple and Amazon.com.

• Nokia loses U.K. patent battle against IPCom

  Nokia is infringing on a patent owned by German company IPCom, the U.K. High Court ruled today. IPCom will be seeking damages and an injunction banning the sale of the Finnish company's 3G phones, it said in a statement.

• Apple will pay Nokia to settle patent suit

  Nokia and Apple have settled an almost two-year long legal battle over patents with an agreement that will see Apple pay a lump sum and ongoing royalties to the European cell-phone maker.

• Supreme Court ruling seen as a win for patent trolls

  The Supreme Court's decision on Thursday in the Microsoft vs. i4i case was anticlimactic and likely a disappointment to most technology companies, legal experts said.

• Supreme Court rules against Microsoft in i4i case

  The U.S. Supreme Court has let stand a $US300 million patent infringement ruling against Microsoft, granting a victory Thursday to i4i, which filed the lawsuit back in 2007.

• Report: DOJ examines Nortel patent sale

  The U.S. Department of Justice is examining bidders, including Apple and Google, interested in Nortel's patent portfolio, according to a <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303657404576363781889157222.html">report in the Wall Street Journal </a> that cites unnamed people familiar with the situation.

• Patent-challenging site expands its focus

  Crowdsourced, patent-busting website Article One Partners has expanded its focus beyond serving as a resource during patent lawsuits, with its community of researchers now also focused on invalidating patents that aren't tied up in court.

• PayPal, eBay sue Google over mobile payments secrets

  PayPal and parent eBay have filed a suit against Google and two former executives alleging that they have misappropriated their trade secrets in the area of mobile payments and point-of-sale strategies.

• Oracle-Google trial could be delayed for years

  The federal judge overseeing the Java patent litigation between Oracle and Google has said it might be necessary to delay a trial until U.S. authorities finish re-examining a number of Oracle's patents, a process that could take years.

• Microsoft next to face instant search suit

  MasterObjects, a software development company, added Microsoft to the list of companies it is suing for infringing on a patent for technology that displays potential completed search terms as users type into a search bar.

• SAP hit with $US345 million verdict in patent case

  A federal jury has ordered SAP to pay Versata Software damages of $US345 million in connection with a patent infringement lawsuit.