Patent Baristas » Current Affairs

Is AT&T Worried I’ll Leave Them When the iPhone 5 Comes Out?

Stephen Jenei — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:19:15 +0000

AT&T Plea Bargaining Attempt

At the beginning of this month, AT&T rewarded some customers by giving them 1,000 free rollover minutes. While I’ll leave the debate of the dubiousness of such a reward to later, I just received a message from AT&T saying I have been upgraded and now can call any U.S. mobile phone for free:

“AT&T Free Msg: You and your FamilyTalk members now have FREE calling to ANY U.S. mobile phone. We’ve upgraded your messaging plan to Family Messaging Unlimited with Mobile to Any Mobile Calling at NO additional cost to you. Just our way of saying thank you for being an AT&T customer.”

I wonder if the competition from Sprint and Verizon is making AT&T nervous about retaining iPhone users. Well, I do love freebies. So, will I get the iPhone5? Rumors point to a number of possible changes:

an aesthetic redesign
an A5 processor with 1 GB of RAM
improved graphics handling
an 8-megapixel camera with a larger sensor
bigger screen
a dual-mode network antenna
a slimmer device

However, the one feature I want to see with the impending release of the iPhone 5 is the ability to actually make telephone calls without resorting to tactics to increase iPhone 4 reception. That will be the only deciding factor for me.

Deputy Director of US Patent Office to Leave. Who’s Next?

The Karma Project

Stephen Jenei — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 20:38:25 +0000

kar·ma/ˈkärmə/
1. The sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence,
viewed as deciding their fate in future existences.
2. Destiny or fate, following as effect from cause.

As a part of my attempt to become a happier, calmer, and more optimistic person (i.e., the opposite of my natural personality), I’ve been thinking a lot about karma. I know, it sounds so very un-scientific.

Karma is the law of moral causation and is a fundamental doctrine in Buddhism. The Pali term Karma literally means action or doing. Any kind of intentional action whether mental, verbal, or physical, is regarded as Karma. It covers all that is included in the phrase “thought, word and deed”. Generally speaking, all good and bad action constitutes Karma. In its ultimate sense Karma means all moral and immoral volition.

One concept that struck me is the concept that you are your own karma. What you make yourself to be now, you will be in the future. What you are now, is precisely what you have made yourself to be in the past. What you sow, you shall reap.

I’m a true believer in karma. You get what you give,
whether it’s bad or good.
~ Sandra Bullock

Though I don’t believe we are absolutely bound by Karma, I think that Karma is influenced to some extent by external circumstances, surroundings, personality, individual striving, and so forth. I just never really put conscious effort into changing it before.

It is in this light that I tried the past week to see if I could influence the world. When a homeless person asked for change, I gave him a $20. The same for a deaf girl selling sign language cards to make a living. Whatever I could do to make a difference, I tried it.

You know what? It didn’t work. It was like the anti-karma gods got together to smite me for even thinking I could change karma. And that doesn’t even count my daughter unknowingly running up a $400 bill on the iTunes store using my password.

But sometimes life feels negative because we become so focused on “what’s in it for me?” So, I’ve decided to continue because it did make me happy. Just knowing did, even if I’m the only one who knows. I plan to continue to give of myself and my time, and to give selflessly.

Start believing that you can change things and you will open the doors for change. And you can change things. It’s possible.

Guide to Leahy-Smith America Invents Act Implementation

Stephen Jenei — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:29:01 +0000

On September 16, 2011, President Barack Obama signed into law the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act. This Act is touted as the most comprehensive overhaul to our patent system since 1836.

The new law is intended to afford more certainty for patent applicants and owners, and provide the USPTO the resources needed to operate efficiently and issue high-quality patents. Implementation of the new law will occur over a period of months, and our USPTO team will seek input and provide updates all along the way.

Timeline in graphical format:

Here’s a listing of documents available from the USPTO:

Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 21, 2011 @ 2:10pm, Commissioner Robert L. Stoll will talk at the 21st All Ohio Annual Institute on Intellectual Property here in Cincinnati, OH.

Have questions on the America Invents Act? Tweet the White House

Stephen Jenei — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 19:25:56 +0000

This morning, President Obama signed the America Invents Act at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology in Alexandria, Virginia—a school named for the first official to issue U.S. patents. On stage with President Obama was a bipartisan group of legislators: Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT); Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX); Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA); Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA); and Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC).

Have questions on the America Invents Act?

Today, US Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra will be answering your questions with USPTO Director David Kappos during an Open for Questions event on WhiteHouse.gov. Join them live at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 16th. Here’s how it works and how you can participate:

Use the hashtag #WHChat on Twitter to ask your questions on the America Invents Act
Watch and ask your questions through the White House Live Facebook App
Tune in live on WhiteHouse.gov/live

US Business & Industry Council (USBIC) Briefing on America Invents Act

Stephen Jenei — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:16:53 +0000

On 9/6/11, US Business & Industry Council (USBIC) arranged a briefing for Senate staff about the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (H.R.1249)(formerly known as the Patent Reform Act of 2011).

This briefing’s purpose was to make the Senate aware of many of the problems with this horrific legislation. The panelists were (from right to left (facing out from the panel)):

Chief Judge Paul Michel (retired), U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit

Gary Lauder, Lauder Partners, Silicon Valley venture capitalist (recording, so not seen)

Valerie Gaydos, Founder, Angel Venture Forum

Kevin Kearns, President, U.S. Business & Industry Council, Moderator (at podium)

Jonathan Massey, attorney and constitutional expert

Dr. Pat Choate, author, Hot Property: The Stealing of Ideas in an Age of Globalization

The main video of the presentations will be posted by USBIC.

Some excellent sound bites here from Judge Michel regarding the bill.

At 11:41 he talks about FTF not being worth wrecking the patent system.

At 12:00 he said of Post-Grant Review: “I can guarantee you that if I went into private practice, [under this bill] I could hold up any patent for almost a decade in post-grant proceedings. It would never get to trial in the district court.”

At 12:53 “It’s a big setback, not a step forward, and the idea that it’s going to create jobs is a joke.”

At 13:15 “Passing the bill is going to slow down the queue, not speed it up, so how can it possibly create jobs?”

HD version is available. More info: http://bit.ly/patentreform