Non-Practicing Entity. A broad term referring to an entity that owns a patent but does not itself practice the patent, i.e., it does not make, use, sell, offer for sale, or import any product or service that embodies the patented invention. Some NPEs own patents on technology they developed themselves, licensing their patents to commercialize or monetize their inventions. Other NPEs acquire patents from others to license and monetize them, including patent assertion entities (PAEs) that do so typically via litigation campaigns.
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Much Ado About Injunctions: Redux
Patent policy debates have raged since 2006 when the Supreme Court decided eBay Inc. v. MercExchange, L.L.C., 547 U.S. 388 (2006). Critics of eBay frequently cite the decision as having effectively en...
Tuesday Markup of Litigation Funding Legislation
Although John Squires is busy destroying the PTAB—as of last week, he has now gone 0 for 34 on allowing institution of IPR petitions he reviews—the story in Congress is more positive. Tomorrow, t...
Step 1: Destroy IPR. Step 2: ??? Step 3: Profit.
Last week, the USPTO issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) containing major changes to the institution process for inter partes review. Combined with other changes made by the USPTO, inc...