IntellectualVentures
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Bug-zapping laser will only kill bad insects
There are good insects, and then there are bad bugs. And the folks at Seattle-based Intellectual Ventures Lab (IVL) have been working on a device that will only kill pests and leave the others unharmed. It's called the Photonic Fence, and has been in development as early as 2009, but according to a Wired report, it's recently been "installed on a US Department of Agriculture site in the state for its first real-world test." If all goes well, IVL plans to market the Fence to farmers who need to protect their crops from pests.
Apple refuses to join Intellectual Ventures' new patent acquisition fund
Intellectual Ventures is a patent holding company that's often referenced as an example of widescale and aggressive patent trolling. Co-founded by former Microsoft CTO Nathan Myhrvold, Intellectual Ventures likes to spin its business model as creating a net benefit for the tech industry, a position which of course has earned the company more than its fair share of detractors. To put the scale of Intellectual Ventures into perspective, the company currently boasts more than 70,000 patents in its portfolio. While Apple, not to mention a slew of other tech companies, are already investors in the company, Reuters reports that the good folks over in Cupertino recently declined an offer to join Microsoft, Sony, and others to join Intellectual Ventures' most recent acquisition fund which reportedly seeks to raise $3 billion to further future patent acquisition sprees. Last year IV curtailed patent acquisitions as it sought new investors, and IV now is ramping up, say three sources familiar with IV's activity in the patent market. "Microsoft and Sony's investments give IV a fresh war chest to buy new patents," said Kevin Jakel, chief executive of Unified Patents, which advises tech companies on alternatives to patent aggregators like IV. But Apple and Intel's decision is significant because the biggest tech companies have supported IV in the past. "This would be a dramatic departure," Jakel said. In recent months, Apple has become noticeably more vocal in denouncing patent trolls. This past February we reported that Apple, since 2009, has been the target of over 190 patent infringement lawsuits from non practicing entities. What's more, Apple recently revealed that they employ two attorneys "just to respond to letters that demand royalties."
Ancient patent troll case against Motorola leaves jurors too baffled to reach a verdict
If the name "Intellectual Ventures" (IV) sounds familiar, that's because the firm went on a suing spree over patents a few years ago. One of them, a 2-year-old lawsuit against Motorola, finally went to court last month, but it's already hit a snag: The judge just declared it a mistrial. The trial revolved around three smartphone technologies, including one at odds with Google Play, but the jurors have failed to reach a unanimous vote. Although many of IV's other lawsuits ended in negotiation, Motorola isn't keen to settle. "We continue to believe this lawsuit was based on overbroad patent claims meant to tax innovation," a company rep stated. Intellectual Ventures, on the other hand, is looking forward to a retrial -- although by then, the company could be looking at a slightly different opponent. [Image credit: Brian Turner/Flickr]
Satellite startup Kymeta announces $50 million in funding from Bill Gates and other backers
It's been nearly a year since Intellectual Ventures announced its satellite communications spinoff Kymeta, but a recent round of funding from heavyweight backers is about to give the company some serious momentum. In a press release today, Kymeta announced $50 million in Series C financing from Bill Gates, Liberty Global and Lux Capital, among other high-profile investors. The company, which is developing a portable satellite broadband receiver under the mTenna brand, currently counts Gates among its board members. Though its products have yet to hit the market, Kymeta's A-list backing has generated significant interest in its tech, which utilizes metamaterials to deliver stronger broadband signals in a more affordable, energy-efficient package. The company is already in talks with several service providers, and this latest influx of cash should only help expedite development agreements and a commercial launch.
Kodak closes its digital imaging patent sale, settles disputes
Kodak has had many scary moments in its recent history, not the least of which was wondering whether or not it could sell digital imaging patents to help escape bankruptcy. It's putting some of that trauma to rest now that it has officially closed the recently approved sale. The $527 million deal shares 1,100 patents with a complex web of companies, including Apple and Google, operating under alliances led by Intellectual Ventures and RPX. The buyers intend to use the patents as defenses against imaging-related lawsuits, and they've agreed to settle any remaining legal entanglements with Kodak in the process. Kodak still stands to gain the most from the deal, however: the cash helps repay a large chunk of a key loan, and it reassures the potential financiers that the company needs to leave bankruptcy by mid-2013. We still won't get back the Kodak we once knew, but the name will at least soldier on.
Intellectual Ventures launches Kymeta spinoff, promises slim satellite broadband hotspots
Intellectual Ventures is best known for its tendency to sue everyone, but it's going some distance to mend that bruised image through a newly spun out company, Kymeta. The startup hopes to improve the quality of satellite broadband through mTenna-branded, Ka-band hotspots made from metamaterials -- substances that can boost and manipulate a satellite signal while occupying virtually no space, leading to self-pointing transceivers that are just a fraction of the size of what we use today. That still amounts to equipment the size of a laptop running at a peak 5Mbps, although it's small enough that Kymeta sees hotspots reaching individual customers who want access from a boat, a car or the field. We'd just advise against tossing out the MiFi too quickly. Kymeta doesn't expect the hotspot to be ready before late 2014 at the earliest, and that leaves many questions about how much of a hit we'll take to the pocketbook.
WSJ: Apple, Google reportedly in rival groups to buy Kodak patents
Kodak might be cleared to sell its patents, but it's likely no fan of the companies lined up to make a deal. The Wall Street Journal's best friends, "people familiar with the matter," assert that Apple and Google are part of separate coalitions hoping to buy the 1,100 patents up for grabs. Apple's camp supposedly includes Microsoft and controversial patent holder Intellectual Ventures; Google's team reads more like an Android Justice League, with HTC, LG, Samsung and "patent risk solutions" provider RPX all playing a part. Real or not, there's still much that's up in the air. Kodak's not talking, and even the touted insiders warn both of new challengers and allegiances that could be in flux over the next few days. If there's meat on this rumor bone, however, it could make the August 8th auction another patent war spectacle rather than a mere ticket back to solvency for Kodak. Break out the popcorn. [Image credit: Pittaya Sroilong, Flickr]
Intellectual Ventures' Nathan Myhrvold defends patent trolling, calls tech industry immature
Intellectual Ventures' CEO and founder Nathan Myhrvold, who previously spent some 14 years at Microsoft Research, took the stage here at D10, and as predicted, his interview with Walt Mossberg was quite the invigorating one. You may know the man and his company for its vicious patent trolling -- or, what appears to be patent trolling. In essence, a lot of its business comes from acquiring patent portfolios, and then licensing and / or suing companies to "enforce" them. Naturally, Nathan has a radically different perspective than most sane individuals on the matter, insisting that the system isn't necessarily broken, and that "making money from enforcing patents is no more wrong than investing in preferred stock." The talk centered predominantly around how Intellectual Ventures operates, what it does, and if its CEO feels that the "rat's nest of lawsuits" -- as Walt put it -- was getting out of control. Despite saying that his company has hundreds of people working on new inventions to help deliver medicines in Africa (in response to a question from the crowd on whether his outfit was truly helping people), he confessed that suing to enforce patents was simply another method of capitalism working. Care to take a ride on the crazy train? Head on past the break for a few choice quotes from the interview.
NVIDIA, Intellectual Ventures partner to acquire 4G patents from IPWireless
It's hard to read the word 'patent' and not leap immediately to 'infringement,' given the tech industry's recent track record. But in this rare case, access to that oft-contested IP is being spread like love -- very expensive love. Under the terms of a joint agreement, NVIDIA and Intellectual Ventures have acquired nearly 500 patents from IPWireless, some of which pertain to essential tech for LTE, LTE-Advanced and 3G / 4G, bolstering the duo's inroads into the mobile space. Though the exact financials weren't disclosed, IPWireless will retain the right to utilize that portfolio royalty-free for as long as it chooses, while NVIDIA will have to license whatever patents it didn't acquire from its partner. With official word of LTE Tegra 3 chips being pushed off into 2013, this latest business handshake's paving the way for an uncontested market debut. Check out the official PR after the break.
Intellectual Ventures takes aim at Motorola over alleged patent infringement
When Nathan Mhyrvold's Intellectual Ventures firm isn't striking licensing deals with technology companies, it's usually suing them, and you can now add one more big name to that latter group. This time it's Motorola, which IV says it has been in discussions with for "some time," but which it has ultimately been unable to come to an agreement with on a license. A total of six patents covering a fairly wide variety of functions are included in the suit, which was filed in a Delaware federal court, although that's just a small fraction of the more than 35,000 total intellectual property assets owned by the company. For its part, Motorola is remaining mum on the matter, while IV said in a statement that while its "goal continues to be to provide companies with access to our portfolio through licensing and sales," it will "not tolerate ongoing infringement of our patents to the detriment of our current customers and our business."
'This American Life' tackles patent trolls, lives to broadcast about it
The financial crisis, DIY cryogenics, the love songs of Phil Collins -- This American Life has taken on a lot in its 15-plus years on public radio. This week the Ira Glass-helmed show tackles a matter close to our hearts: the patent wars. The show has devoted the entirety of episode 441 to the seedy world of patent trolling. The TAL team focuses in on the practices of Intellectual Ventures, a name that should ring some bells and rattle some bank accounts around these parts. Check out the link to episode below -- and why not subscribe to the podcast while you're there? You can thank us later. [Thanks, Brandon]
RIM strikes licensing deal with Intellectual Ventures for 30,000 IP assets
We still haven't heard much out of Intellectual Ventures' latest patent offensive against no less than nine tech companies, but the company founded by former Microsoft CTO Nathan Mhyrvold is now making some news on another front. It just announced today that RIM has followed HTC and Samsung and entered a licensing agreement that gives it full access to Intellectual Ventures' patent portfolio of more than 30,000 IP assets. Details are expectedly light beyond that, but it certainly seems like Intellectual Ventures is doing alright for itself these days -- it was recently reported that it hauled in $700 million in licensing revenue in 2010 alone, and that its total revenue to date is around $2 billion. Full press release is after the break.
Intellectual Ventures begins tech patent offensive, files three lawsuits against nine companies
We've always wondered why former Microsoft CTO Nathan Mhyrvold was stockpiling patents at his new company Intellectual Ventures, and it looks like we're starting to find out why: in addition to licensing the entire portfolio to HTC and Samsung, IV's just filed its first three patent lawsuits against nine tech companies. Details are sparse, but the first suit is against Symantec, McAfeee, Trend Micro, and Check Point Software, the second names Elpida Memory and Hynix, and the third is against Altera, Lattice Semiconductor, and Microsemi. We'd assume the patents in question are all super-technical in nature, but it's really not the specifics we're interested in -- it's more the fact that IV is starting to flex some muscle in the tech world, and that means a lot of money could change hands real fast. We'll see what happens.
HTC and Samsung license entire Intellectual Ventures patent portfolio, gear up for war
Looks like HTC and Samsung are taking some aggressive steps to protect themselves from Android patent litigation -- in the past week both companies have entered into long-term patent licensing agreements with Nathan Myhrvold's Intellectual Ventures. (Mhyrvold was once Microsoft's chief technology officer, but he's arguably more famous for Intellectual Ventures.) Both HTC and Samsung now have access to IV's entire portfolio of "more than 30,000 IP assets" to wield against current or potential legal opponents -- like, say, Apple or Oracle -- and IV also plans to help them manage their existing patent portfolios. It sounds to us like HTC and Samsung decided that they needed more patent muscle in order to survive in the now crazy-litigious smartphone market, and indeed, the PR announcing the HTC deal flatly says the smartphone maker is "working with IV to mitigate its patent risk." Of course, this is also a bit of a deal with the devil -- Intellectual Ventures might be the most infamous patent troll in history, and HTC and Samsung have essentially decided the risks and cost of doing business with IV are more favorable than the risks and cost of going to court. Either way, we'll see how this all shakes out -- and we've got a feeling that the Apple / HTC lawsuit is about to get seriously interesting.
