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.
However, someone did, in fact, hold the patent for “disseminating media content representing episodes in a serialized sequence.” That someone was from Personal Audio, and he spent a lot of time and money bring infringement suits against a number of podcasters like Adam Carolla, NPR, NBC, HowStuffWorks, and, well, anyone else who made a podcast that experienced even minor success.
In answer to this patent holder’s thirst for infringement blood, Electronic Frontier Foundation challenged the patent holder in court, asserting that the patent was too broad to be upheld. The EFF won the initial ruling in April of 2015 due to existence of two particular instances of prior art—Quirks & Quarks, a science show by CBC and CNN’s Internet Newsroom.
The appeal came swiftly, and after a year was struck down for good. Podcasting is now possible without fear of reprisal, unless Personal Audio takes this all the way to the Supreme Court.
Amazon Files Yet Another Drone Patent
Someone somewhere obviously believes Amazon drones will be a thing, due to the increasing number of patents filed in regards to drone and, um, drone-adjacent technology. This particular patent comes after a previous patent for drone docking stations, known now as a “drone beehive.” That doesn’t sound like the premise of a horror film at all.
The latest patent lays the groundwork for mobile maintenance stations of all types of vehicles, such as trains, boats, and trucks. Drones will be able to connect by a robotic arm, which will then make it possible for the drone to receive deliveries or undergo repairs. All of this is, of course, in the name of eliminating any and all friction between the consumer’s “want” and “own” phases.
Apple in the Hot Seat in Qualcomm Battle
The battle between Apple and Qualcomm isn’t cooling at all, and now the US International Trade Commission is getting involved. They’re investigating the claims that Apple has violated several Qualcomm patents related to mobile technologies in many iPhone models.
While the Trade Commission is just taking a look at the claims, Apple may have something to worry about. It’s good news for Qualcomm, because someone is obviously taking notice of the various claims being tossed back and forth between the two tech giants.
This all comes after a long and drawn out legal battle that’s been playing out in the courts for well over a year. The case has resulted in a suit against Qualcomm for $1 billion, Apple’s decision to cease any royalty payments, and Qualcomm’s 40% decrease in reported profits. Sounds like Qualcomm needed a little good news.
How Patent News Drives Your Innovation
IPVision is always in the best position to help you develop products for commercialization because we keep up with the latest patent news. Understanding what technology already exists helps you avoid surprises that could lead to infringement litigation. It's just one of the points we focus on throughout the innovation consulting process.
Contact us if you’d like to explore our innovative approach to innovation. Our method benefits companies at all points of the innovation process, from examining your core competencies, to discovering the opportunities for product development, to solving the pains of the customer, to getting your new product on the shelf. Want to know how that works? Give us a call.
