- The global patent battle between Apple and Samsung continues, both on the SEP and non-SEP front. The U.S. International Trade Commission recently issued a notice that it will review an Administrative Law Judge’s prior finding that Samsung infringed several non-SEP Apple patents, and also remanded part of the case back to the ALJ. (More from AllThingsD). And over in Germany, a Mannheim judge stayed Samsung’s infringement case against Apple over a 3G-essential patent, pending a determination of the validity of the patent in a separate proceeding.
- Speaking of Samsung, the ITC issued a news release announcing its decision to institute an investigation based on Samsung’s December 21, 2012 complaint against Ericsson in which Samsung accused Ericsson of infringing various Samsung standard-essential patents (more details can be found in our Jan. 3 post on the Samsung-Ericsson dispute). The investigation into Ericsson’s activities will be captioned In the Matter of Certain Wireless Communications Equipment and Articles Therein, Investigation No. 337-TA-866.
- Is this the future of home manufacturing? The makers of Roomba have filed for a patent on a 3-D printer that would “print” fully assembled products. (via ArsTechnica)
- And in non-patent IP news, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated a jury’s finding (along with $172M in damages and costs) that Mattel misappropriated MGA Entertainments’s trade secrets relating to MGA’s Bratz dolls. The 9th Circuit panel’s opinion closed with some advice for the parties — “Play nice.” (via Bloomberg)
- Finally, the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) is holding its 2013 Mid-Winter Institute next week in Tampa, FL. The theme of the conference will be “Understanding why intellectual property is THE business asset of the 21st Century.” You can register to attend the AIPLA Mid-Winter Institute here.