Idaho Universities and Patents

Earlier today the USPTO released its list of top universities (patents). Here’s the top 5:

1. University of California (390 patents)
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (136 patents)
3. California Institute of Technology (101 patents)
4. Stanford University (90 patents)
5. University of Texas (90 patents) (tied for fourth)

How did Idaho’s universities do?

1. Idaho Research Foundation, Inc. (University of Idaho) = 3 patents
2. Boise State University = 0 patents
3. Idaho State University = 0 patents

Feel free to correct my data…perhaps I wasn’t searching for the right entities.

Idaho may be #1 per capita for patents…but it isn’t via our universities.

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What is YOUR expired patent worth?

Apparently, this one is up for auction on eBay for $20,000,000. Its listing indicates that the auction is for:

US Patent Number 6161005 for Licesing [sic] to a person or company. This Patent is for a Cell Phone that will unlock any door lock for the car or home or office at any distance utilizing any of the following methods of operation: PIN codes, speech recognition, infrared, Rolling Codes RF, and trainable systems. Email me for more information we have an extensive web page and business plan.

Funny thing though…

Doah!

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Patent Attorneys are to Blame for the Patent Mess

Promote the Progress on:  Wall Street Journal on the state of patent law: “Blame the Lawyers”

Let me second Matt’s post with a quote for the writer of the Op-Ed piece: 

“It is much easier to suggest solutions when you don’t know too much about the problem.”  - Malcolm Forbes

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Patent Drafting in Law School…

Albany Law School has a class on “Patent Prosecution and Patent Drafting.” How cool is that?

I went to law school in the late mid-1990’s and I actually took the first IP class offered at the school, a solitary class that covered patents, copyrights and trademarks (yes, I know that some other schools have always taught IP…). Thank God law schools are starting to take IP law more serious.

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Off to TechShow

Well, I’m on my way to Chicago, for BlawgConnect 2005, TechShow, and LexThink! Chicago…sitting on an airplane jotting some notes in a neat little wiki program for the Mac called VoodooPad.  I don’t usually use VoodooPad for composing blog posts…long story, I was reading a book Matt Homann recommended (Clients for Life) and was inspired by a section on how the Internet is changing the practice of business (and law) and had a great thought for later discussion with my rethink(ip) brothers…so I pulled out a legal pad and pen only to find that airline cabin pressure and certain types of pens don’t mix (not to self, bring a ball point pen next time).  Rather than spend the next 4 days with ink stains on my fingers, I decided to pull out my iBook to jot down my notes (which will be later cut and pasted to the rethink(ip) wiki (we are beta testing a new wiki called StikiPad).  With my notes written down, I turned to writing this post. 

I am real thankful that I brought my .mp3 player (Dell Digital Jukebox) to blast the tunes thereby covering the screaming of the two toddlers sitting in the row behind me kicking my seat.  Two more hours to go.  Gonna be a long flight.

I am really looking forward to (in-between said aforementioned activities) spending hours and hours and hours with Buchanan and Sorocco brainstorming about the practice of IP law…how we can all work together to rethink(ip) and encourage others to do so as well. 

So what is "rethink(ip)?"  I wish I could define it…I wish I could explain.  In a broad context it is a collaboration between three patent attorneys from three competing, small "inland" IP law firms to get individuals, small businesses and corporations to rethink about how IP law is practiced, how it is paid for, how invention disclosures are obtained from employees, how they relate with their IP counsel, how their IP counsel should treat them, software, training, consulting, etc.  But it is so much more than that. 

Flying over eastern Colorado right now…wondering if there is any more of a remote place in this country (other than Alaska).  Have you ever looked at eastern Colorado/western Kansas on a map.  Want to travel there?  Hope you like driving.  You’re going to be flying into Denver or KC and driving over (not a single large airport anywhere to be found).  One of the attorneys in my firm get’s the pleasure of driving all over rural Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska next month taking depositions.  Not going to be fun…anyway, I digress.  [no, that is not a rant against small, rural towns…I went to high school in a rural town in Missouri (and have a blue FFA jacket to prove it)….please save your Napoleon Dynamite jokes for later.]

I don’t know that I have ever had an opportunity to spend so much time (via e-mail and Skype chats) with two patent attorneys who are just as geeky as myself (my wife seems to think that my trip to Chicago is for "Nerd Attorney Fest 2005").  From internal discussion e-mail lists, to phone conferences, to a joint blog (coming soon), to an internal wiki where we brainstorm all of our crazy ideas…we are true geeks.  Probably similar, in more ways than we’d ever imagine, to what is taking place in Ernie/Denise/Marty/Tom/Dennis and their Between Lawyers concept (other than the fact that we’ve kept most of our discussions about the law in the dark (for now) AND we are three competitors talking about how we change our area of the law).  As we continue forward with this rethink(ip) project, expect this cloak of secrecy to be gradually lifted.

I hope you are at least interested in what we have in store…our opinions are sure to rock the boat and annoy some of our larger firm, larger city competitors.  Hang on tight, it’s going to be a bumpy ride…not just because the toddlers are reenacting a recent PowerRangers episode on the back of my seat right now…

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Secrets secrets…

First Sorocco posts about ""FYI – stay tuned for a wicked cool announcement next week! I promise, you don’t want to miss it."

Then Buchanan posts on a "major announcement from me and two other IP bloggers… Sorocco (aka Mr. PHOSITA) and another IP blogger to be named later (hint:  he’s got the coolest name in the IP corner of the blogosphere…)."

I wonder who the anonymous IP blogger is…(yeah, like no one figured it out yet).  OK…I admit to being a part of their motley crew.

"rethink(ip) aloud."  What does that mean?
Why would three small IP firm patent attorneys (who are essentially competitors) do a joint podcast?
Guess you’ll have to wait and see…more details to follow next week.

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My only pre-election political rant

I am so dreading the next 4 weeks.  Elections are just 6 days away, but I am afraid that the results are likely to not be known for weeks thereafter.  With all of the reports of voter intimidation and counties where more people are registered to vote than live in the county, my gut tells me that this is going to a NIGHTMARE.  I’m afraid that the loser (and his party) is going drag all of us through HELL.  Reports of both sides having “teams of lawyers” already on the ground in Florida and elsewhere ready to challenge the election is enough to already make me twitch funny.

What have we come to?  Where has the civility and honesty gone?  Where will this all lead?  Is the beginning of the end?

Note to the candidates:  Which ever of you wins, please do us a big favor and crack down, to the fullest extend of the law on anyone involved in voter fraud, vote manipulation, disenfranchisement, etc.  I fully expect heads to roll.  This has got to stop.  Someone needs to take a stand or we are going to devolve into some third world country. 

Otherwise, I am going to move to …… crap, there isn’t a better place to live.  ARGH!!!!!

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Mt. Saint Helens ash

I may not be able to blog about Hurricanes like Buzz and Ernie, but maybe I can blog re:  Mt. Saint Helens ash.  An ash forecast can be found here.  I live in Boise, ID 83709, in the south-western portion of Idaho.  When Mt. Saint Helens last majorly erupted, I was living outside Idaho Falls, ID 83401.  Everything was covered in ~1/4 inch of ash even that far away.  Pretty amazing. 

Ash map from here:  http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/MSH/Tephra/msh_may18_ashfall.html

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Blawger Bowl…last call

Room for one more blawger…if you’ve been on the fence as to whether or not to play for the inaugral Blawger Bowl (fantasy football)…last call!!!!

Email me for the group name and password

.

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