New NPE on the Block: From Corporate Defender to Business-Savvy Aggressor

By: Ian McClure
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In a report yesterday, Bloomberg shed light on what PatentFreedom is calling the 2nd largest NPE in the country.  Second, of course, to Intellectual Ventures.  John Desmarais, a former big-firm lawyer and defender of large corporations in patent infringement cases, has taken the independent train to NPE-ville.  According to the report, Desmarais left his firm in May to form Desmarais, LLP.  But this wasn't the usual "big time partner leaves big firm to start small shop" deal.  No, Desmarais seems to have had a plan in place for ... Read More

Categories: Burgeoning Business, Patent Prospects

Intellectual Property Insurance: Changing the IP Litigation Landscape

By: Ian McClure
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Whether for better or worse for the IP litigation landscape - depending on who you are and from what perspective you view the enforcement of intellectual property rights - the intellectual property insurance business model is catching on with companies that view themselves as "at risk" entities.  I recently sat down at a meeting with Chuck Baxter, General Counsel and Senior Underwriter for Intellectual Property Insurance Services Corp., to learn first hand what services are offered by an IP insurer; how might these services benefit a business ... Read More

Categories: Burgeoning Business

IP Litigation Statistics from China; But What Do They Tell Us?

By: Ian McClure
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I've been tipped off by the IAM Blog to these interesting statistics released by the Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China. 30,626 civil cases related to IPR at first instance were received by the China national court system in 2009, up 25.49% Of the 2009 IP cases counted, 4,422 involved patent infringement, 6,906 involved trademarks, 15,302 involved copyrights, 747 involved technical contracts, and 1,282 involved unfair competition While a direct comparison to U.S. IP cases is not available (I'm not aware of ... Read More

Categories: Patent Prospects