Patent, Trademark & Copyright : Law Office of Kloss, Stenger & LoTempio

Steve Jobs revolutionized our world through his inventions. There are very few inventors in the world that give us devices that change the way we live. There are not many households in the world that don't have some form of technology created by Apple.

My house is littered with almost every generation of iPod, the iPad I and II, Apple TV and a couple laptops made by Apple. I remember my first computer was a Mac in the early 1980s.

Steve Jobs co-founder of Apple passed away at the young age of 56. It makes me consider my mortality. You can have everything in the world but you can't control your time here.

We all live on the edge of life and death every minute but no one ever considers that death is going to take them away right now. So I try to remind myself to live my life now.

Inventors attempt to come up with ideas to change the world but there are very few people that actually do it.

Steve jobs and Apple revolutionized our world through the electronic devices he and his company invented.

The personal computer. In 1976 the Apple I was one of the first rudimentary computers made available for computer enthusiasts at the cost of $666.66.

Throughout the next 40 years the Apple personal computer evolved to a point where everyone could interact with the computer in our own language in a seamless iconic way.

The iPod forever changed the way we listen to music. It's iconic commercials of a young person listening to music with the earphone buds and long wire swinging to the music changed the music industry.

The iPad forever changed the way we interact with apps and the endless store of information on the Internet.

I would guess this is just the precursor of screens attached to walls and other devices that we swipe and tap with our fingers to manipulate the electronic images and music and remote control of virtually all electronic devices.

The iPhone the most popular smart phone in the world forever changed the way we communicate with each other. 

Steve Jobs has been compared to Edison, da Vinci and all the great inventors of all time and I agree he certainly deserves to go down in history as an iconic figure that changed the world forever.

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Eastman Kodak Company announced that it is "exploring strategic alternatives related to its digital imaging patent portfolios, a move reflecting the current heightened market demand for intellectual property."

Does this mean they're going to try to leverage their patent portfolio against other competitors in lawsuits? Can you say "patent troll"? Some people think that maybe they will be putting their patent portfolio up for sale to help their cash flow.

Does anybody still use film cameras? I can't remember the last time I printed up some of the pictures that I've taken with my digital camera. Because of dwindling film sales, Kodak has become more aggressive about licensing its patents.

Since 2008, it has generated almost $2 billion in licensing fees and royalties from intellectual-property battles, both in negotiations and the result of Patent infringement lawsuits.

Wednesday's announcement comes while Kodak is suing Apple Inc. and Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM), the maker of the BlackBerry phones, saying their phone camera features infringe on some of its patents.

The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) recently issued a favorable ruling in Kodak Patent Case against Apple and RIM. The ITC rejected a counterclaim by Apple that Kodak cameras infringe on Apple patents.

Eastman Kodak Co. (EK) shares have rebounded slightly as a result of this announcement and are currently selling for $2.50.

But today's price is close to Kodak's lowest level in more than 30 years.

Kodak’s portfolios include more than 1,100 U.S. patents pertaining to capturing, processing, storing, organizing, editing, and sharing digital images, as well as imaging monetization applications, which are fundamental to the digital imaging industry.

Those patents represent approximately 10% of Kodak’s patent portfolio. 

Kodak has retained Asset management firm Lazard LLC as its adviser in how to employ this new patent portfolio strategy.

“Given recent trends in the marketplace for intellectual property, we believe the time is right to explore smart, opportunistic alternatives for our digital imaging patent portfolios,” said Laura G. Quatela, Kodak’s General Counsel and a Senior Vice President of the company. "This effort reaffirms our commitment to the three pillars of our intellectual property strategy – design freedom, access to new markets and partnerships, and cash generation."

Kodak invented the digital camera and since then has pioneered many of the major advances in digital imaging devices, systems and services. The company’s portfolios of more than 1,100 digital imaging patents – plus foreign counterparts and related patent applications – comprise the world’s richest collection of imaging-related technology.

I wonder if they really want to sell 10% of their patent portfolio off or just use it as a weapon against all its competitors to start a series of patent infringement lawsuits?

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Tweet of the week

Thanks to @ifones for tweeting this week about how Apple may take on a new role in video gaming if its latest patent application, published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last week, ever makes it into a product.

Take a look how Patently Apple breaks down the Apple patent application that teaches new methods to convert a computer user's video game play into a "book, e-book, or comic book."

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Tweet of the week

Thanks to @ipgossip for tweeting this week about Apple being the number one target for NPEs in the US. Joff Wild of IAM Magazine commented that,

"Apple must have spent well over $200 million on dealing with NPEs over the last few years and I imagine a few others can match that as well. No wonder so many companies hate NPEs and call them trolls."

According to a statement(.PDF) given by Teresa Stanek Rea,  then President of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, to The Subcommittee on Courts and Competition Policy Committee on the Judiciary for the United States House Of Representatives

AIPLA conducts a nationwide survey of our members every two years on the cost of patent litigation. In 2007, we reported that the median cost of a patent infringement suit was $1,600,000, if $1 million to $25 million was at risk. The cost rises significantly as the stakes increase. The median average cost of a patent infringement case involving more than $25 million dollars was about $5,500,000.

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I, Woz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon - Getting to the Core of Apple's Inventor, by Steve Wozniak

LoTempio Law Blog Book Review

About the book

In this autobiography,  Steve Wozniak describes his life–before and after Apple. From his childhood where he learned about electronics from his father, to the time of the invention of the Apple I personal computer, to the rise of Apple as an industry giant. A firsthand account by Steve Wozniak, inventor genius, about the origins of Apple and the computer revolution.

My review of the book

Everyone wonders how a true genius comes up with his great idea. Steve Wozniak tells of his early childhood and how his interest in electronics was the foundation that guided him to the world's first practical personal computer. It can be argued that Steve Wozniak  is one of the great inventors of all time, but he will not go down in history as a great writer based upon this book. Although his stories of childhood pranks and interaction with Steve Jobs regarding his technical life leading up to Apple are very interesting, parts of it are over technical for the average reader.  in addition, the reader gets the feeling that the author has too much control over the editor. One must wonder if the ego of the multimillionaire author controls the direction of the book and the editor is incapable to reel in the line.

Despite the book's shortcomings, after reading it you will feel as though you got to know the person Steve Wozniak and you can't help but like him. in addition, I was interested to learn that Apple protected much of their early technology with copyright rather than patents because of the high cost of patent preparation. I thought it was also interesting to read about his struggles with corporate politics. He reveals that he wanted to stay out of management t but remain involved in the inventive/creative side of the business. I had hoped he would have shared more details regarding how they split up the profits of the company and his relationship with Steve Jobs.

About the Author

Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder, changed the direction the computing industry with his design of the world's first mass produced personal computers, the Apple I and Apple II.

In 1985, Steve was awarded the highest honor bestowed on America’s inventors; the National Medal of Technology by the then  President of the United States, Ronald Regan. In 2000 Steve was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame and was awarded the prestigious Heinz Award for Technology, The Economy and Employment for “single-handedly designing the first personal computer and for then redirecting his lifelong passion for mathematics and electronics toward lighting the fires of excitement for education in grade school students and their teachers.”

Wozniak founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and was the founding sponsor of the Tech Museum, Silicon Valley Ballet and Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose. He currently is the Chief Scientist at Fusion-io and recently he danced on “Dancing with the Stars.”

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