Patently-O Bits & Bytes by Lawrence Higgins

Apple iPhone Developers Sued

  • Lodsys has filed a patent infringement suit against several developers of applications for Apple. [Complaint] Lodsys claims that patent numbers 7,620,565 and 7,222,078 were used by the developers without their consent. The suit was filed after Apple sent a warning letter to Lodsys, telling Lodsys to leave the developers alone. Apple claims that the license that they received from Lodsys allows the developers to use the patented technology for making Apps for Apple products. The Apps that the complaint reference are Twitterrific, Labyrinth, and Quickoffice Connect just to name a few. [Link]

USPTO’s Patent Experience Externship Program (PEEP)

  • This year the USPTO will have its largest student program ever; over 200 students (including myself) have been accepted to work at the USPTO. The PEEP gives future patent attorneys and students a view into the day to day operations at the USPTO. Also the PEEP helps the USPTO identify and recruit future patent examiners. The PEEP integrates theories learned at universities with real-world practice and implementation of those theories. The PEEP officially started on June 1 and will run until the middle of August. [Link]

New Secretary of Commerce?

  • President Obama has nominated John Bryson as the next Secretary of Commerce. The current Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke will become the new Ambassador to China. John Bryson is the former CEO of Edison International and co-founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council. [Link]

New Patent Blog!

  • www.ipreglaw.com is a new patent blog started by Scott Bialecki. The blog's purpose is to offer practical advice and insight from a former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) staffer that became an IP litigator. Scott was with the FTC for over 5 years, and brings his regulatory knowledge to the Intellectual Property world to offer great advice on his blog.

Patent Jobs:

  • Toler Law Group is searching for patent attorneys to work in their Austin, TX office. Toler Law group is evaluating both lateral and newly graduated attorneys. [Link]
  • Solazyme is seeking an IP attorney with 4-5 years of experience to work at their San Francisco location. [Link]
  • Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is looking for a biotechnology patent attorney with at least 3 years of experience to work in their Washington, DC office. [Link]
  • Choate, Hall & Stewart is searching for an attorney, patent agent or staff scientists with an EE background and 2 years of patent prosecution experience. [Link]

Upcoming Events:

  • The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) will hold its annual BIO International Convention on June 27-30 in Washington, DC. BIO brings together 15,000 – 17,000 industry experts from over 60 countries. The convention will hold several sessions strictly related to IP. [Link]
  • The American Conference Institute (ACI) will hold a Hatch-Waxman Boot Camp July 18-19 in San Diego. ACI’s Hatch-Waxman Boot Camp has been designed to give counsel and advisors to brand name and generic drug critical insights into commercialization and the pre-approval process, and also provide an in-depth review of Hatch-Waxman and other IP basics relative to small molecules and biologics. [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]

Contact Lawrence.Higgins@patentlyo.com with leads for future Bits and Bytes.