Yearly Archives: 2012

We are now in the tail end of the season where millions of America brave wintry weather, TSA pat downs, and slow airplane wifi to spend quality time with loved ones. If gingerbread cookies and holiday shopping get old, you simply need a short break from a Top Gear marathon, ...

This post was co-authored by Marion Bergeret, Berkeley Law LL.M. Candidate 2013, and Babak Siavoshy, Teaching Fellow, Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic. Last month the California Supreme Court heard oral argument in Apple v. Superior Court (Krescent), a consumer class action filed against Apple to contest the company’s collection of ...

Amidst current discussions on the “problem” posed by software patents, David Kappos, Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), recently delivered a speech defending the existence of such patents. Kappos argued that innovations in the software industry are no less worthy of patent protection compared to other inventions, and ...

The individual defendants in two high profile peer to peer song sharing cases, Capitol v. Thomas-Rasset and Sony v. Tenenbaum, recently faced major defeats in challenges over high statutory damages awarded against them. This raises questions as to the roles of judges and juries in determining the fairness and proportionality of statutory damages in ...

On the eve of the arrival of Superstorm Sandy, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in John Wiley and Sons v. Kirtsaeng, a case involving the international reach of the First Sale Doctrine. The impending storm provided a fittingly overwrought metaphor for the Court’s attempt to ...

On June 29, 2012, Mr. Herman Van Rompuy, the President of the European Council, announced that twenty-five of the twenty-seven Member States of the European Union (EU) finally reached an agreement concerning the creation of a unitary patent system. Anticipated for more than thirty years, the announcement legitimately raised enthusiasm ...

Design patents have not received much press until recently. However, the smartphone industry and fashion houses are increasingly turning to patent law to protect their designs. Recent disputes between Apple and Samsung as well as Lululemon and Calvin Klein illustrate an increased reliance on design patents for market domination. Will ...

The law of patent infringement is governed by 35 U.S.C. § 271. In particular, § 271(a) describes what constitutes infringement: Except as otherwise provided in this title, whoever without authority makes, uses, offers to sell, or sells any patented invention, within the United States or imports into the United States any patented ...

Recent changes in the Terms of Use for Application Programming Interfaces (“APIs”) highlight the ways law and technology can work together to promote business innovation. While in the past web platforms have been relatively care free about how their data is used through APIs, such platforms have recently taken up a significant interest in ...

During September 2012, the California legislature voted in favor of three laws recognizing new privacy rights resulting from technological advancements and the ubiquity of Internet activity in the lives of Americans. California Governor Jerry Brown took two steps forward in the name of privacy by signing two of the laws, ...