Following a patent application last year, Airbnb is now using advanced AI-powered software gained from its acquisition of tech startup Trooly to run social media background checks on potentially “untrustworthy” bookers. The “trait-analyzing” software uses bespoke...

The European Patent Office (EPO) has, in a landmark decision, rejected two patent applications designating an artificial intelligence, rather than a human being, as the inventor. Both applications named the neural-net AI “DABUS” as the creator of, respectively, an...

According to research commissioned by online retailer Vape Club, and based on data from UK Trading Standards, fake Apple AirPods are set to be the most “popular” counterfeit item this Christmas in the UK, with trading standards having already seized £134,000 worth of...

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders have written an open letter to the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) accusing US pharmaceutical giant Gilead Sciences Inc of “corporate misconduct” over its actions relating to the development of...

Earlier this year, a group of companies, including Daimler, Continental, and Valeo, complained to the European Commission over Nokia’s licensing fees for technology patents for smart car navigation and autonomous cars. Nokia, meanwhile, currently finds itself pursuing...

Clarivate Analytics, the US provider of subscription-based analytics services, has announced its acquisition of Darts-ip, a leading supplier of case law data and analytics for IP professionals. The deal will see Darts-ip providing case law data and supporting...

In a step that seems outlandish even by its own standards, Tesla has filed a patent with the USPTO for a system that would clean the glass surfaces on its cars, from the windshield to side windows to camera lenses, with lasers. According to the patent application, the...

A collective of more than ninety civil organizations has called for urgent reform of the Harare Protocol of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) in order to ensure that people across Africa have access to affordable medicines. The...

Ahead of next year’s eagerly awaited launch of its new PS5 videogame console, Sony has filed patents with the Japanese patent office for a new iteration of its DualShock controller. The visual design and functionality of Sony’s PlayStation controllers was largely...

LG, the South Korean technology giant, has brought patent infringement proceedings against Chinese multinational, and rival, TCL Corporation. LG alleges that TCL infringed three Long-Term Evolution (LTE) patents held by LG. LTE is a wireless standard for broadband...

American financial services giant Wells Fargo has been found by a Texan court to have infringed patents held by the United Services Automobile Association (USAA). The ruling found that Wells Fargo had intentionally infringed two patents, both relating to an...

In a landmark ruling by Brazil's Court of Appeal, Bayer subsidiary Monsanto has defeated a class-action lawsuit brought by Brazilian farmers over the royalties Monsanto levies on farmers when they save seeds grown from one Monsanto crop for use in the next. With...

Anaqua, the Boston-based provider of intellectual asset management (IAM) and IP management solutions, has announced that the US Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC) has selected the ANAQUA platform to manage its global IP portfolio. The USAMRDC is...

Having tired of being the subject of a stream of infringement lawsuits from patent-aggregating entity Fortress Investment Group, multinational tech giant Intel has now launched its own proceedings against Fortress, seeking a declaration that Fortress’ business is...

In a decision that has surprised many, given earlier decisions to the contrary by the Patent Office, the High Court and the Court of Appeal, Professor Ian Shanks has won his case in the Supreme Court against his former employer, Unilever. Whilst working for a Unilever...

HyperStealth Biotechnology Corporation, a manufacturer of camouflage uniforms used by the military, has announced that it has recently filed a patent application relating to a “Quantum Stealth Light Bending Material” which it refers to, in a nod towards Harry Potter’s...

The Hong Kong Intellectual Property Department (HKIPD) has announced that a new patent system will be launched in Hong Kong on 19 December 2019. An original grant patent (OGP) system will be introduced to provide applicants with an alternative route of seeking...

Following its Annual Meeting at the end of September, the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) has launched a 96-page “Gender Diversity in Innovation Toolkit” aimed at closing the gender gap between male and female inventors. Despite over 55% of Ph.D....

California has introduced a pioneering new law designed to stop large pharmaceutical companies settling claims of patent infringement by generic drug manufacturers by paying those manufacturers to delay launching their products – the so-called “pay-for-delay”...

A year on from making a similar announcement back in September 2018, Nokia has stated that, as of October 2019, it has declared to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) that it has identified over 2,000 “patent families” as being “essential” for...