Back to Court for Tafas v. Doll Suit and USPTO Rule Changes [UPDATE]

Back in March I wrote about the closely-watched Tafas v. Doll lawsuit challenging new patent rules put into place by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. At the time, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) came down with a mixed ruling that could have significantly changed the IP landscape. Well, it's back to the beginning, as yesterday the CAFC granted a request for an en banc rehearing, meaning that all the appellate judges will be participating.

• Jul 7, 2009

iPhone Running Away With Smartphone Market

Apple's iPhone is a runaway hit worldwide, as I noted last week, and again earlier today based on a new set of numbers from Japan. I just got a look at a summary of Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster's report to clients, which includes the incredible fact that 38 percent of 3GS customers were u...

• Jul 6, 2009

Feds Upsetting Apple Cart?

The Department of Justice has begun investigating certain practices in the wireless telecom industry, including exclusive deals between carriers and handset makers that limit competition, and violations of network neutrality rules, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The DoJ will certa...

• Jul 6, 2009

iPhone Godzilla Swallows Japanese Cell Phone Market

Apple's iPhone is taking it to the competition worldwide, belying the idea that the iPhone's popularity is a uniquely American phenomenon. TG Daily reported that "Apple has cleaned up in the smartphone market in Japan," based on a survey of 2,300 retail stores by market research company BCN. The ...

• Jul 7, 2009

Nokia Android Rumor Could Still Be True... For Netbooks

Nokia issued a statement through various press outlets denying the rumor that it's planning a smartphone based on Google's Android mobile operating system. However, that doesn't mean it doesn't have other plans for Android. Clearly Nokia responded to this report, rather than ignoring it entirely,...

• Jul 6, 2009

Marc Andreessen Becomes Gigantic Angel

Marc Andreessen announced on his blog that he and his investing partner Ben Horowitz have funded an investment pool to the tune of $300 million for the purpose of investing in technology start-ups. The investment philosophy of the new firm, Andreessen-Horowitz, more closely resembles the behavior...

• Jul 6, 2009

Tech Law: Tech Exec Sentenced, EchoStar Gets Stay, Psystar Back, More

Ex-AMX exec sentenced for corporate espionage; FCC gets tough on line sharing rules for telecoms; laptop vendors may face class-action suit for battery life; Usenet.com loses copyright infringement case; EchoStar gets stay of contempt of court order; Psystar to come out of bankruptcy with a new Mac clone; and an Obama administration action boosts net neutrality.

• Jul 6, 2009

Twitter's Suspension Meltdown: Seeking Stability

If you're on Twitter, you may have noticed that a number of people suddenly started complaining about their accounts being suspended -- a variety including some with large followings. It was no coincidence, though apparently a large accident. So when will this Internet force become reliable?

• Jul 6, 2009

EMC Pushing to Keep Data Domain from NetApp [UPDATED]

Some people find being spurned as a reason to be hostile. Others react by trying even harder for the object of their affections. EMC seems to be doing both, upping its hostile bid for Data Domain to have what it wants -- and to keep it away from rival NetApp. But Data Domain says it has some compelling reasons to stick with the one what brought 'em.

• Jul 6, 2009

Social Network User Loyalty Erratic

I've mentioned before how social networks are in a fad business. Recent data from Nielsen Online suggests that even more strongly. The rapid change in the fortunes of social media companies are enough to make your eyes cross -- and to reconsider just how most tech companies should hedge their strategic bets, given that today's sure thing can become tomorrow's has-been. Here's a look at the Nielsen NetView data, via the Center for Media Research, comparing minutes of use:

• Jul 3, 2009

Yahoo's CEO Carol Bartz Selling More Than $1M in Shares

Every new CEO of a troubled company comes in with rolling thunder and promise that things will be better, telling employees to have faith. So what kind of signal does one give when selling more than $1 million in shares after six months on the job? Maybe not a good one. And who does it? Carol Bartz of Yahoo.

• Jul 3, 2009

Tech Companies Whine About State Mandates

There's been talk for years of state governments pushing for taxes on Internet product sales by out-of-state companies. And now you can add pressure for electronics companies to pay for recycling when their products reach end-of-life. But what the industry is about to learn is that it's actually been largely charmed when it came to government regulation. Now it may be time to recognize what many other types of businesses have: you can grimace and you can fight, but sometimes all you can do is find ways to deal with official requirements as smoothly as possible. Whining -- we've been hearing a lot of it -- only serves to tick off people and put companies squarely in the sites of government.

• Jul 2, 2009

New Salesforce Strategy: 'Amplify And Extend'

Salesforce.com doesn't think that large enterprises should have to replace software and infrastructure in which they've already invested huge amounts. Peter Coffee, director of platform research at Salesforce, told me over the phone this morning that the sotware-as-a-service (SaaS) vendor is trying ...

• Jul 2, 2009

Making A LinkedIn For Twitter

Back in the days before Facebook, no one would have ever suggested that businesses get involved with social networks. Can you imagine someone suggesting to Michael Dell that his company ought to have a MySpace page? Today, not only does Dell Computer Company have a Facebook page but Michael Dell ...

• Jul 2, 2009

Can Anyone Make A Handheld Anymore?

Either handheld device customers have become the biggest bunch of whiners in history, or there's something seriously wrong with overly-hyped products coming out of Silicon Valley. My colleague Erik Sherman has reported about Apple's new iPhone 3G S overheating so much that some customers are repo...

• Jul 1, 2009

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