All articles tagged with #patents
Pocketpair filed a new trademark for 'Palworld Online' in the US and South Korea, signaling a potential branding for the game's multiplayer as it nears a 1.0 update; meanwhile Nintendo's patent challenges face hurdles, with the US Patent Office reexamining a Nintendo patent that attempted to cover a gameplay mechanic, underscoring ongoing legal tensions between the two companies.
Stanford’s 2026 AI index shows China now leads in AI research publications, citations, and industrial robots, and accounted for roughly 74% of 2024 AI patent grants, while the US still outpaces in private AI investment and narrowly leads in model performance (about a 2.7% edge as of March 2026). The result is a narrowing gap, with China gaining ground across core innovation metrics.
An ICIJ investigation shows Merck’s Keytruda has become one of the world’s best-selling drugs not just because of therapeutic value but due to an expansive patent portfolio (more than 1,200 filings in 53 countries), lobbying, and pricing tactics that raise costs for patients worldwide while governments and insurers struggle to fund access; the report details price disparities, secrecy, accelerated approvals, and strategic moves like drug-dosing and product hopping that help Merck extend monopoly into the 2030s, with patients in India, Guatemala, the U.S. and elsewhere paying vast out-of-pocket or facing restricted access.
Walmart has secured two US patents for AI-based pricing tools—one for automated markdowns on its e-commerce platform and another for demand forecasting and price recommendations—though the company says the systems target markdowns and inventory, not real-time or individualized pricing. The patents arrive amid lawmakers considering restrictions on dynamic pricing in groceries and a broader rollout of electronic shelf labels that could enable centralized price updates, fueling concerns about price discrimination even as Walmart stresses prices remain consistent with demand and shopper data.
Suunto filed a September lawsuit against Garmin over five patents (antenna design, respiration-rate sensing, golf-shot detection, etc.). Garmin responded in December with a 218-page countersuit accusing Suunto and its Dongguan Liesheng parent of infringing five different patents and arguing Suunto copied Garmin/Firstbeat tech. The filings hinge on hardware patents like antenna design and GPS-related tech, plus a controversial ‘flashlight in a watch’ patent used as leverage. The piece portrays the case as a legal circus rather than a straightforward tech fight, noting Suunto’s products have improved but predicting the dispute could become mutual patent warfare rather than yielding a clear winner.
The piece argues that AI used in legal patent search can be accurate yet incomplete if it lacks scalable, reliable recall across hundreds of millions of documents. Melange, aided by Pinecone, demonstrates that infrastructure—not just model quality—limits unseen 'unknown unknowns' that can miss crucial prior art, potentially inflating litigation costs. Building a robust retrieval backbone is essential to prevent costly missteps in high-stakes patent cases.
Samsung topped the US patent-grants chart in 2025 with 7,054 grants (up 11% year over year), accounting for about 2% of all US patents and cementing its top position from 2024, as rivals like TSMC and Apple trail in grants.
An in-depth feature highlights Svetlana Mojsov’s crucial role in discovering GLP-1, the hormone at the heart of Ozempic and related drugs, and a decades-long patent fight in which she was ultimately credited with a share of royalties after being largely sidelined by male colleagues.
Strava is suing Garmin over alleged patent infringements related to features like segments and heat maps, causing concern among runners and cyclists who rely on these apps for tracking and sharing their workouts. The case has sparked debate about data sharing, app features, and user loyalty, with some fearing the potential impact on their fitness routines and online communities.
Strava has sued Garmin for patent infringement related to GPS segments and heatmaps, demanding Garmin cease sales of many devices that feature these functionalities, citing patent violations and alleging Garmin expanded beyond a previous cooperation agreement. The lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction and claims damages for lost revenue and harm to competitive position.
The Trump administration has escalated its conflict with Harvard University over patents and federally funded research, initiating a review and the 'march-in' process under the Bayh-Dole Act, which could lead to federal ownership of Harvard's patents, amid ongoing lawsuits and funding disputes.
The U.S. Commerce Department is reviewing Harvard's compliance with federal rules regarding patents from federally funded research, threatening to seize patents worth hundreds of millions if Harvard fails to provide required disclosures by September 5, citing concerns over non-compliance with the Bayh-Dole Act.
Apple has been granted a patent for embedding sensors into stretchable fabric bands, potentially enhancing future Apple Watch models with capabilities like blood pressure and ECG monitoring. The patent suggests these sensor bands could wirelessly communicate with other Apple devices and might even include charging circuitry. This innovation could extend to other wearable items, hinting at a broader range of Apple-connected clothing or gear. While the patent indicates ongoing development, it may take time before these features are integrated into consumer products.
Roku has filed a patent suggesting the possibility of displaying ads on HDMI inputs of its TVs when paused or idle, potentially extending its advertising reach to devices like gaming consoles and Blu-ray players. This move aligns with a trend of streaming device makers testing the limits of consumer tolerance for ads, as seen with Amazon's autoplaying trailers on Fire TV. While ads help subsidize the cost of these devices, the prospect of pervasive advertising may deter consumers from premium options and prompt them to seek ad-free alternatives like Apple TV.
Nippon Steel's new chief, Tadashi Imai, is committed to the $14.1 billion acquisition of United States Steel, emphasizing the technology and patents his company can bring to enhance U.S. Steel's competitiveness. Despite President Biden's preference for U.S. Steel to be domestically owned, Imai remains focused on negotiations with the United Steelworkers union and asserts that any potential changes to the deal would be up to the American firm.