Computer Ethics, Spr 2015
Corboy 301, Thursdays 4:15
Class 12, April 16
Week 11 Readings
Read Chapter 4 sections on software patents.
Podcasting
patent reversal
What does patent 8112504
actually claim?
In the current season, the Supreme Court is hearing the patent case Kimble
v Marvel. Stephen Kimble invented a glove that shoots something like
"silly string", allowing kids to pretend to be Spiderman. In a series of
court cases that did not end in a traditional licensing deal,
Marvel agreed to pay Kimble royalties.
After the patent expired, Marvel stopped paying. Kimble is arguing they
should pay forever, because that was implicitly the terms of the agreement.
The Supreme Court ruled long ago in Brulotte
v Thys that, once a patent has expired, royalty claims also expire.
The theory here is that a change to the Brulotte standard would allow
inventors to license their ideas at a lower rate to companies willing to pay
royalties for a longer term.
The Supreme Court is also hearing Commil
v Cisco, about wireless patents. Commil has one, and has sued Cisco.
But Commil's theory is that it is Cisco's customers who are the
actual infringers, and that Commil is suing Cisco because of the latter's inducement
of patent infringement. Cisco's argument is that, in a patent inducement
case, they should be allowed to introduce into their defense their
good-faith belief in the patent's invalidity.
Felony
prosecution of Florida middle-school student
Fixing
security problems isn't always worth it
After all, you're not necessarily the one who suffers.
Patents
Stallman essay
Graham essay
Europe
Open Source
Data Treasury
KSR v Teleflex
Mayo Labs v Prometheus
Abstract patents and CLS v Alice
Crime