Post # 6:Trolls

I was shocked to listen to the stories in class about the various Troll companies that attempt to gather money by threatening to sue companies that supposedly infringe upon their a series of patents. But the story below is truly ridiculous:

Steven Vicinanza, owner of IT services provider BlueWave Computing, recieved a letter that his company was required to pay $1,000 per employee for a license for a certain use of scanning quiptment. Put basically, the demand was that anyone using a office scanner to scan documents to e-mail would have to pay. In total, the troll called Project Paperless LLC was demanding $130,000.

Unbelievably, Project Paperless LLC claimed in the letter that if you hook up a scanner and e-mail a PDF document that was scanned in, they have a patent that covers that process.

Thankfully, Vicinanza won the consequential legal case, however thousands of these letters are still being sent out to small businesses from New Hampshire to Minnesota. Unfortunately, not all of these companies will have the strength to fight back.

Below is a copy of the letter for your interest:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/117291579/Led-Letter-final-redacted

Post # 5:How many patents cover your device?

Patent aggregator RPX ( a provider of patent risk management solutions), recently estimated that as much as 250,000 active patents impact your smartphones. When we concider that the smartphone industry owns under 1% of the US GDP, that number is asstunding. This number becomes more shocking when the smartphone industry is held up in comparison to the pharmasuitcal. Currently, it is calculated that there are approximately 46.8 patents per every 1,000 jobs whithin the pharmasuitical industry. In contrast within the computer and peripherals equipment sector, there are 277.5 patents per 1,000 jobs. The difference is astounding.

Post # 4: USPTO

There is a giant argument over whether the patent process represents an arrow straight to the heart of innovation, or whether it is a legitimate way to encourage competition. In the application process you must demonstrate to the USPTO that innovation has occurred in some way or another. The USPTO may or may not make a mistake in reaching their decision. So perhaps the fault lies with them.



In defense however, there appears to be a long legacy of agency blame, which has been viewed by many as a scapegoat for other contributing problems. In the past, applicants have complained when the agency has been too lax because of the difficulties they find in protecting their inventions. At other times, often the same type of applicants then argue the process is inefficient because it is too easy and exposes them to others who claim have invented an identical product. Evidently, there is a hard balance to be struck between the two.

Post # 3: Patent Cold War

After hearing of the virtual battles between companies, I thought it would be interesting to do some research on the topic. By the end of my research it was clear that it is more like a 'cold war'. Research illustrated that last year alone, companies spent over $20 billion arming themselves with patent ammunition.
Google, Apple and Microsoft are the main players and the numbers are astounding. Google spent $12.5 billion last August buying 17,000 patents. But what is more impressive are the amount of patents governing one tech device. Your smartphone has an average of 250,000 patents. The graphic illustration of this war, on the left, is perhaps one of the clearest indicators why many people feel that the patent system is broken and is detrimental to innovation. Even Apple CEO Tim Cook, arguably one of the main culprits, said the patent system is "broken".

Post # 2: Why do I want to do this course?

Why do I want to do this course?

I hope to grasp an understanding of the legal process of applying  for a patent, as well as how to create one myself.

Ultimately, I wish to apply my knowledge to an upcoming tech start-up idea.

Post # 1: Short Bio

Haydn Evans

Bio:

Born in London, from the age Haydn had an active interest in acting. By the age of 15, Haydn had participated in Indian charity work, won various national rowing gold medals and held various jobs, including Silver Service Waiter, Film Set Designer and Theatre Ambassador. At Kent University, studying English and Drama, Haydn developed a strong marketing skill set as a Student Brand Manager for the ICAEW and intern at top London agency, Bryan Morel PR. At 19, Haydn founded and became General Partner of 'In a Nutshell Theatre' and completed an accountancy internship at Burgess Hodgson, learning the relevant skills necessary to create, lead and manage a successful company. Currently, Haydn is studying Business and Mandarin at Berkeley.