Monsanto Wins GMO Seed Patent Fight at Supreme Court
The Supreme Court said an Indiana farmer violated Monsanto patents on soybean seeds that are resistant to its weed-killer by growing additional crops without buying new beans.
patent
How Patent Madness Is Killing Innovation and Costing Us Billions
Big creative companies like Apple are taking out patents on everything they can think of -- lest they develop an idea only to discover someone else claimed it first. That may sound sensible on the surface -- but the rules of the patent game are actually doing more harm than good.
Pfizer Shrinks Its Drug Pipeline Amid R&D Cuts
In an update Tuesday, Pfizer said it is discontinuing 15 of the projects in its development pipeline. The news comes a month after the world's largest pharmaceutical company announced large research and development cuts were on the way.
Top-Selling Drugs About to Lose Patent Protection
The pharmaceutical industry is ready to fall off a cliff -- a "patent cliff." Over the next few years, some of the world's most popular and lucrative medicines will go off patent, and generic competition will siphon an estimated quarter of a trillion dollars from drugmakers' bottom lines.
RPX's Plan: Make a Fortune by Fixing the Patent Mess
RPX has been in business since just 2008, but it has rapidly built a list of big-name clients attracted to its novel service. It offers tech companies a way to gain access to patents without having to own them outright -- and without having to deal with litigious "patent trolls."
Sony Accuses LG Electronics of Patent Infringement
In a complaint to the U.S. International Trade Commission, Sony has accused rival LG Electronics of infringing on seven of its patents, including one for photo-based caller ID technology.
Amazon's Plan to Save You From Unwanted Gifts
While it may sound more Scrooge than Santa Claus, Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, has filed a patent for technology that would allow customers to return -- or "convert" -- gifts they don't like, even before they actually arrive.
Facebook Makes Progress in Attempt to Trademark 'Face'
Social-networking giant Facebook made a bit of progress in its five-year effort to trademark the world "face," at least when used in things like online chat rooms and social-networking efforts. The company received what's called a "notice of allowance," which means a decision could be coming in as little as six months.
Pfizer's Potential Arthritis Drug Works in Late-Stage Trial
Pfizer shares were down more than 1% Monday afternoon despite the pharmaceutical giant's report Sunday of successful late-stage trial results for an experimental rheumatoid arthritis drug. The study showed tasocitinib reduced pain and inflammation and improved physical function in patients with moderately to severely active RA.
Apple Appeals $625.5 Million Patent-Infringement Verdict
Apple faces one of the largest ever patent-infringement verdicts if a jury award of $625.5 million is upheld. The company is appealing after being found guilty of violating three patents owned by small tech company Mirror Worlds.
Does Amazon's E-Reader Patent Put Nook at Risk?
The battle of the e-readers between Amazon and B&N was already plenty heated, but now the competition takes an intriguing twist with a patent ruling that threatens the very existence of B&N's popular Nook.
AstraZeneca Stock Jumps After Court Ruling on Crestor
AstraZeneca shares surged by almost 9% Tuesday after the company scored a win in court regarding the patent for its cholesterol treatment, Crestor. The ruling means that AstraZeneca won't have to worry about generic competition for its multibillion-dollar statin until 2016.
Pharmaceutical Sales Reps: An Endangered Species?
Pharmaceutical sales representatives have been battered during the recession -- thousands were laid off by drugmakers hunting for ways to trim their budgets. But even if the economy recovers with a vengeance, don't expect pharmaceutical firms to go on a hiring binge.