Most of the patent news in the past week has revolved around pharmaceuticals, but we caught a few gems. First, we’ll revisit one of our news pieces from last week, and then we’ll move on to some movement from Microsoft.

Well, another week, another news report about Amazon patents, but we’ll get to that. First, we’ll look at a few standard IP news stories, with a few words from Ford, JP Morgan, and Tesla. Of course, it’s not a news week if Uber’s not included, too. 

A lot has happened since Amazon managed to win the race to the patent office with their 1-Click patent twenty years ago. Not just in the world as a whole, but specifically in the world of ecommerce. Now that the patent is set to expire next month, experts wonder just how much that stranglehold on the frictionless purchasing experience benefitted Amazon.

One of the foremost names in wireless technology announced this week that they would sell more than 6,000 of their patents. It’s not the first time Nokia has decided to unload some of its intellectual property onto the market, and the same concerns apply this time as did in previous sales. Fortunately, some of the concerns can be addressed with the proper tools.

Sometimes it seems as though the same companies are in the news again and again with their patents and lawsuits surrounding those patents. This week is no different, featuring Crocs, Apple, and Nintendo. One big difference is the number of cryptocurrency and blockchain patents filed or awarded recently. We haven’t seen much news surrounding this technology, but this week, we know at least three patents were filed or awarded.

If that headline made you look twice, we don’t blame you. Walmart patenting a drone delivery system? And not only that, a drone delivery system that floats in the air like a big blimp? We’ve heard this story before, but it was Amazon telling the tale.

This week was packed with patent news, from Crocs shoes to Nintendo Switch. It’s always interesting to discover which patents are being upheld, which are in court for infringement, and which are driving innovation. We’ll dig into all of these in this report.

Anyone who’s watched Shark Tank has heard the hopeful inventors and entrepreneurs claim “patent pending.” The investors nod gravely, giving the impression that they’re impressed. As someone planning to file for a patent in the future, you may believe that completed application gives you all the power in the world.

Podcasts are having a moment. With the white-hot popularity of such weekly serialized content as NPR’s Serial and S-Town, and horror-writer Aaron Mahnke’s LORE, as well as thousands of other titles available to the general public for the low, low price of free, it’s hard to believe that someone somewhere actually held a patent on podcasting.

Spontaneous innovation is a rarity these days. Sometimes it seems like there will never be another new idea, as companies simply build upon current innovations. When spontaneous innovation does occur, it likely disrupts the current industry and systematically strips away market share from the current company in the top spot.