Lately, it seems as if every IP law and tech blog one reads has something new to report on one of the countless lawsuits Apple is engaged in around the world. This week was no exception – the biggest splash that Apple made in the news circuit this time around was that Apple had come to an agreeable settlement with HTC on all patent disputes world-wide.

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Posted in Copyright, Design, Patents, Trademarks
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One year after President Obama signed America’s patent reform bill into law, the U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO) has introduced a new way for third parties to file evidence and comments on patents currently pending approval by the USPTO.

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Posted in Patentability, Patents
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In June, Google, Inc. received some welcome news in France after the lawsuits instigated by the French Publishers Association (Syndicat national de l’édition) and the French Author’s Association (Société des gens de lettres) were withdrawn following a successfully agreed upon “framework” settlement. Google wrote on its European Public Policy blog that the new arrangement gives authors and publishers continued control over their works for commercial purposes while the internet giant is given authority to scan and sell out-of-print copyrighted works in e-book format. Publishers and authors retain the right to decide which specific titles it will allow Google to digitize and offer to the public, while also receiving a substantial portion of revenues from any sales made. With this settlement framework taking shape, the publishing world’s eyes are now keenly set on the development of Google’s legal troubles in the United States, namely the class action suit Authors Guild et al. v. Google, Inc. currently set for trial this coming October.

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Posted in Copyright, copyright reform, Digital Libraries, Infringement, Literary Works
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Apparently, $60 Million.

The trademark battle between Apple Inc. and Shenzhen Proview Technology (which I previously covered here) has come to an end. The value of the name “iPad” in China is now known, even before the tablet can be stocked on store shelves in the Mainland. A few days ago, the Guangdong Higher People’s Court posted an official news release on their website stating that the two parties underwent successful mediation and have come to a mutually acceptable settlement agreement. Although Proview had wanted as much as $2 billion when negotiations first started, it appears that they are content with the final agreement sum of US$60 million in exchange for releasing the trademark rights of the iPad name in China to Apple. With Proview deeply saddled with debt and Apple keen to forge ahead with its business in one of its largest consumer markets, the settlement must have come as a relief for both parties given that both were operating without the benefit of time.

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Posted in Contracts, Trademarks
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