- Yesterday was quite the day for patent-related issues at the Supreme Court. The Court held oral arguments in Bowman v. Monsanto, where the justices are tasked with deciding whether the patent exhaustion doctrine extends to self-replicating technologies (here, Monsanto’s patented Roundup Ready soybeans). For more info on these cases, see these recaps from Patently-O and Groklaw. Early speculation seems to be that Monsanto will win in a unanimous or near-unanimous decision.
- Also yesterday, the Supreme Court released its opinion in Gunn v. Minton. Here, the Court held that while lawsuits for patent litigation-related malpractice may involve federal patent issues, they do not “arise under” the patents laws, and therefore do not implicate federal courts’ exclusive patent jurisdiction. Dennis Crouch at Patently-O provides a good summary.
- The Computer & Communications Industry Association is holding a panel discussion on non-practicing entity activities and their effects on the economy here. The event will take place on February 28th here in Washington, DC, and is free and open to the public. (via Patent Progress)
- Ben Lee, head of litigation and IP at Twitter, writes in Wired about Twitter’s “Innovator’s Patent Agreement” — a new approach to the traditional assignment agreement between an employee-inventor and his or her company.