We previously reported how “Patent Reform Could Affect All Patent Owners.” Responding to pressure from large companies such as Google and Cisco, the US House of Representatives rushed a vote on the “Innovation Act” back in December. The bill was the House’s attempt to rein in so-called “patent trolls,” but it contained numerous provisions that…
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Technology Worldwide (TechWW) is a blog published by Shaked & Co. It provides periodic information and perspectives of interest to the international technology and business communities with respect to developments in technology law, licensing and intellectual property. Writers include S & C attorneys as well as guest contributors. TechWW does not provide legal advice.
Who Owns that Patent? Divorce, Ownership and Patent Enforcement
Laws regarding ownership of marital assets vary from country to country and in the US from state to state. In most jurisdictions assets that are acquired during a marriage – including intangible assets, such as patents – are marital assets subject to distribution between the couple in the event of a divorce. If an inventor…
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Paying Attention to the “Boilerplate”
Sometimes even standard “boring” language in a legal contract can become a point of contention in litigation. Every legal contract – whether it’s an intellectual property transaction or a real estate deal – has some contract terms that are subject to extensive negotiation and other terms that are simply standard language that “everyone” uses. Such…
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EU Tightens Antitrust Rules for Technology Transfer
Technology transfer is generally seen as being a “pro-competitive” activity. Greater sharing of intellectual property (IP) usually means technology is made more accessible, which benefits competition, thus benefiting consumers. As such, since 1984 the EU antitrust authorities have offered “safe harbor” protection for certain types of technology transfer transactions, exempting them from the standard antitrust…
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