Less than a year ago, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp. closed a $1.1 billion round of funding, valuing the company at over $45 billion. While Xiaomi is known for its smartphones, the company also has a number of service-oriented business lines, from mobile gaming and entertainment, to electronic payments. Given the immense valuation of the company, […]
Earlier this month, Microsoft and Google announced a settlement to end nearly 20 patent-related lawsuits in the U.S. and Germany. The deal brought to close years of patent litigation surrounding various technologies, including gaming systems, mobile devices, and multimedia streaming. Envision IP analyzed Microsoft’s US patent portfolio to understand where the company has focused its […]
The Coalition for Affordable Drugs has been the subject of much controversy in recent months. The organization is backed by hedge fund billionaire Kyle Bass and Hayman Capital, who are using inter partes review filings (IPR) to challenge patents of public pharmaceutical companies. The ultimate goal for Bass and Hayman Capital presumably being to profit […]
The one year anniversary of Alibaba Group’s IPO, the largest in history at $25 billion, recently passed on September 19, 2015. Since its IPO, the company has been vigorously filing patent applications, and has amassed a portfolio of 184 US patents. Last year, in the months leading up to the company’s IPO, Envision IP identified […]
With the one year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank Int’l. (decided on June 19, 2014) recently passed, Envision IP and The Patent Box, LLC have collaborated to analyze the impact of the decision on patent application filings from the technology, financial services, and automotive sectors. In the first […]
With the upcoming release of Apple’s iPhone 6S Plus, there is high speculation that the next generation iPhone may include a “Force Touch” feature, similar to the touchpad on Apple’s Macbook devices. Force Touch would provide iPhone users a haptic feedback, adding another dimension to the user experience. Of course, the combination of fully-integrated touch screen mobile […]
The Guardian reported last week that Apple is building a self-driving car. If the report proves true, Apple will join Google in the autonomous vehicle race, and the dream of driver-less cars on our highways may be one step closer to commercialization. Envision IP analyzed Apple’s patents and published patent applications related to vehicle technology to […]
The future of the non-practicing entity business model as it currently exists is uncertain. With many headwinds facing NPEs, including AIA provisions for IPR and CBM invalidity proceedings, state and proposed federal legislation aimed at aggressive NPE tactics, and the limited scope and viability of business methods patents after the Supreme Court’s decision in Alice […]
Apple has had a busy 2015 so far in terms of acquisitions, fresh of its widely publicized acquisition of Beats Electronics last year. The company has invested in a variety of different technologies, with recent acquisitions of Semetric (music analytics), FoundationDB (database technologies), LinX (camera technologies), Coherent Navigation (navigation and mapping), and Metaio (augmented reality). […]
After Fitbit, Inc.’s successful IPO last week, the company is reportedly focused on increasing its product and services offerings by investing in research and development. Envision IP reviewed the US patent portfolios of Fitbit and Jawbone to understand how the two companies are protecting the innovations stemming from their R&D investments. The result is surprising, […]
