Patent Baristas

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 [...]

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 [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]

The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, H.R. 1249, which passed the House in June by 304-117 in June, contains a provision to amend 35 U.S.C. 156, the statute governing patent term extensions.
Specifically, a section of HR1249 would insert the following clause:
‘For purposes of determining the date on which a product receives permission under the second sentence [...]

Mashable has an infographic on the recent patent wars.  Winding its way from the early conceptions of patent rights to trends in patent filings and ending with recent patent tiffs involving tech companies like Apple, Microsoft and Samsung.
Google executives said that a major reason they were willing to pay $12.5 billion for Motorola Mobility is [...]

Some interesting news out of Government Executive Magazine.  Yes, I know you read this religiously.  That is to say, you read it while praying the government doesn’t do yet more stupid things.  A recent survey among federal employees shows “More than half of federal workers value creativity and innovation in their jobs.”
The Partnership for Public [...]

According to The Wall Street Journal, Mark Bowden, the U.N.’s top official in charge of humanitarian aid in Somalia, said the country “is facing its worst food security crisis in the last 20 years. This desperate situation requires urgent action to save lives…It’s likely that conditions will deteriorate further in six months.”
More than 10 million [...]