Google signs deal to Translate European Patents
- The European Patent Office (EPO) and Google signed an agreement, in which the EPO will use Google's Translate technology to offer translation of patents on its website. The EPO will translate patents on its website into 28 European languages, as well as into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Russian. The partnership between the EPO and Google will enable free, real-time translation of millions of patents granted in European countries, China, Japan, Korea and Russia. [Link]
Monsanto sued over transgenic seeds
- Farmers, agricultural organizations, seed businesses, and others filed suit against Monsanto over Monsanto's transgenic seed patents. The plaintiffs, led by the Public Patent Foundation, state that they brought suit to protect themselves from ever being accused of infringing patents on transgenic seeds, because contamination is bound to happen. [Link] Plaintiffs contend that since they have no intention to infringe they should not be sued for patent infringement if such contamination occurs. The plaintiffs claim that Monsanto's transgenic seed patents are not valid for several reasons. One reason being that Monsanto's transgenic seeds are injurious to the well being, good policy, and threatens to poison people. (Quoting Justice Story's 1817 Lowell decision). [Complaint]
U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) decides more patent cases
- The ITC job is to settle disputes over imported products and in recent years the ITC has seen an increase in patent cases, particurly in mobile technology. Plaintiffs can file these suits even before the alleged infringement has occurred in the U.S., which can be a big incentive to keep the alleged infringing products out of the market. The increase can be seen as a consequence of the decision in eBay v. MercExchange, in which the court stated that an injunction should not automatically issue based on a finding of patent infringement, but a court must use the four factor analysis. This eBay decision does not have to be followed in ITC cases and therefore the ITC can grant an injunction based solely on the finding of patent infringement. [Link]
Patent Jobs:
- Shay Gleen is searching for patent attorneys with either 1-2 years or 4-5 years patent prosecution experience. [Link]
- Washida & Associates is looking for an electrical U.S. patent attorney for their Tokyo office. [Link]
- McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff is seeking a patent agent with 2-4 years experience to work in their electrical arts group. [Link]
- Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel is seeking a patent agent with a mechanical engineering background. [Link]
Upcoming Events:
- The Florida Bar will hold its 2nd Annual Intellectual Property Symposium in Fort Lauderdale on April 14th & 15th. The symposium will take a look at the story behind the $21 Million Verdict in Powell vs. Home Depot, the Gene Patent Controversy, Licensing and Endorsements in Sports (and Entertainment), Intellectual Property Protection vs. The First Amendment and Bankruptcy. Guest speakers include Lori Andrews, Felix Wu, Ury Fischer, Chris Holman, and Robert Stoll. [Link]
- American University Washington College of Law will host the first annual Global Congress on Public Interest Intellectual Property August 25-27 in Washington DC. The Global Congress on Public Interest Intellectual Property will serve as a site for the sharing of research, ideas and policy proposals for how international intellectual property law should be constructed to better protect the full range of global public interest concerns. [Link]
- The 3rd Annual Corporate IP Counsel Forum will be held May 24-25 in New York. The Corporate IP Counsel Summit is the premier forum to hear about solutions to maximize IP assets, avoid costly litigation, create and maintain efficient infrastructure, fully integrate IP strategies into business plans, prepare for anticipated patent law changes, and much more. Guest speakers include Michael Bishop, Mony Ghose, Mark Costello, Michael Springs, Charles Kwalwasser, and Timothy Wilson. Patently-O readers will receive a $100 discount by using promo code FZA884. [Link]
Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.