In this week’s Patent News – Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry gears up for Trump’s visit, initiates discussion on reviewing IP laws; India, second largest contributor to IBM’s worldwide patents; Hytera Communications to pay Motorola Solutions $764 million by way of damages; USPTO to hire hundreds of new examiners and more.
INDIA PATENT NEWS
Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry gears up for Trump’s visit, initiates discussion on reviewing IP laws
In an effort to make “Namaste Mr. President” formerly dubbed as “Kem Cho Mr. President” an eventful occasion, the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has reportedly initiated discussions to review the country’s Intellectual Property (IP) laws. As reported by Business Today, the objective of the discussion is to make IP laws more ‘contemporary’ and lay out the amendments that might be required in order to do so. Further, the Department of Promotion of Industry and International Trade (DPIIT) is seeking suggestions from stakeholders especially in areas with respect to Working of Patents, Pre-Grant Opposition and the Scope of Patentability as some of these have been perceived to act as barriers to trade. In addition to the above, DPIIT has also asked stakeholders to provide comments to amend the rules governing IP Licensing and Royalties. Discussions to make Design Laws more ‘contemporary’ are also being held.
India, second largest contributor to IBM’s worldwide patents
According to the Financial Express as many as 900 patents have been granted to Indian inventors with IBM, out of the 9262 patents granted to the New York tech giant. This is reportedly the highest ever number of patents filed by Indian engineers in the last 27 continuous years. With this, India became the second largest contributor to IBM’s worldwide patents list for the year 2019 Altogether 8500 IBM inventors spread across 45 different US states and 54 countries ensured that the tech giant topped the US patents race in 2019. Since 1920, IBM has received more than 140,000 US patents.
PATENT DISPUTES / INFRINGEMENT / SETTLEMENTS / LICENSING
Hytera Communications to pay Motorola $764 million as damages
A federal jury of the Northern District of Illinois recently ruled in favor of Motorola Solutions and awarded the company with $764.6 million in damages which includes $418.8 million in punitive damages and $345.8 million in compensatory damages. The decision has come after three years when Motorola Solutions instituted a lawsuit against Hytera Communications in 2017, accusing Hytera of stealing Motoro;la’s trade secrets. The case also comprised of certain claims before the International Trade Commission (ITC) along with a patent infringement lawsuit that was filed separately. In 2018, Motorola added a copyright-infringement complaint alleging that Hytera unlawfully copied its source code. While Motorola has been celebrating its victory, a spokesperson from Hytera reportedly stated that – Hytera respectfully disagreed with the jury and was currently considering pursuit of all appeal options.
INTERNATIONAL PATENT NEWS
USPTO to hire hundreds of new examiners
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is hosting two job fairs for engineers in February. According to the UPSTO’s official page these Patent Examiner Recruitment Open House events are designed to attract soon-to-be graduates and professionals with backgrounds in biomedical, computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering by offering actionable information about job opportunities, salary, benefits, and how to apply to hundreds of open USPTO positions currently available in Alexandria, Virginia; San Jose, California; and Detroit. Additional positions will be opening up at the agency’s Rocky Mountain Regional Office in Denver later in the year.
The first job fair this month will take place at the Patent and Trademark Resource Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology (GA Tech) Library on Friday, February 21, and Saturday, February 22, in Crosland Tower, Room 2130. One week later on Friday, February 28, and Saturday, February 29, the second event will be held in the Madison Building at the USPTO’s headquarters in Alexandria. Day one will take place in the Global IP Academy (GIPA) and day two in the Clara Barton Auditorium.
Authored and compiled by Vibha Amarnath
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