We review what’s been happening in IP and provide a rundown of Managing IP’s news and analysis from the past week.
This week in IP
FRAND first
The Unified Patent Court handed down its first FRAND judgment on Friday, November 22, in a dispute between Panasonic and Oppo. The local division in Mannheim banned Oppo from selling certain mobile devices in UPC territories and rejected the Chinese company's counterclaim, finding that it had not behaved in a FRAND manner.
Citi secrets
Two former bankers at Citigroup have hit back against a lawsuit that accused them of taking trade secrets to their new employer, Bank of Montreal. John Mitchell and Benjamin Carr, who joined Bank of Montreal last month, denied Citi's allegations in a filing on Monday, November 25.
Grand designs
WIPO member states approved a new treaty on designs on Friday, November 22. According to WIPO, the Riyadh Design Law Treaty – so called in recognition of the city that hosted the final stage negotiations – will make it easier, faster, and more affordable for designers to protect their designs both at home and abroad.
Samsung blow
A jury at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ordered Samsung to pay $118 million in damages to Netlist following a patent infringement lawsuit covering data processing technology. Netlist also won a $303 million verdict against Samsung in a related case last year. The order in the latest dispute was handed down on Friday, November 22.
Sky high piracy
Online piracy in the EU remains high, with internet users accessing illegal content 10 times each month, according to an EUIPO report. The report, published yesterday, November 28, showed that pirated television content accounts for half of all digital piracy and that traffic has risen to illicit internet protocol television sites.
Articles published on Managing IP this week include:
The IP Lounge: AI suspicions, Qantm’s post-investment plans
In this episode, the team delved into some of the biggest talking points from the last few weeks.
These included an interview with leaders at intellectual property business Qantm who revealed how they are using their private equity investment. We also discussed the wash-up from this month’s US election and the news that USPTO director Kathi Vidal is to leave her role early.
We also discussed the latest artificial intelligence trends and looked ahead to the coming weeks including the publication of our annual ‘Top 50 most influential people in IP’ list.
To listen to the episode, click here.
Other MIP coverage
Brands ‘avoid danger’ after Penn State trademark ruling
Behind the case: How McGuireWoods brought Penn State to victory
Podcast: What to know about licensing negotiation groups
Leveraging strength: how US firms are recruiting UPC talent
Weekly take: Why the IP legal market is poised for a consolidation boom
An ‘exciting’ future: inside Morgan Lewis’s UPC mission
Canadian firms report uptick in trial work post patent law tweak
That's it for today, see you again next week
