On the Supreme Court, the Federal Circuit, and Patent Law

• Business method patents rejected in Canada

  Michael Geist explains the current status of business method patents in Canada where, so far, they have been firmly rejected - unlike in the United States.

  
  
• "Open transfer" agreements: mediating industry and universities

  Madey v. Duke exposed one conflict when industry and universities work in overlapping areas. The 2002 federal court decision highlighted a problem at the intersection of university and industry goals.

  
  
• Should signing a petition be a confidential act?

  The Supreme Court has accepted a new case on to its docket concerning the constitutionality of a Washington State law being used as the basis to publish the names of signers of a petition to restrict gay rights.

  
  
• The slow pace of Fourth Amendment change

  In Protections for Electronic Communications: the Stored Communications Act and the Fourth Amendment, Alexander Scolnik wrote: As technology evolves, giving individuals new forms of communicating and government agents increasingly sophisticated tools for surveillance, courts have had to continually interpret the Fourth Amendment and define the extent of its reach in light of these new advances.

  
  
• Were telegrams privileged communications?

  With the introduction of the telegraph in the 1800s, some jurists, recognizing the growing importance of telegraphic communication, advocated for a kind of "telegraph operator-customer" privilege.

  
  

Post title: On the Supreme Court, the Federal Circuit, and Patent Law

Authored by: krisnelson

Date posted: Oct 17, 2007

Categorized as: law • patents

Tagged with: law • law review • supreme court

Alternate URL: /2007/10/on-supreme-court-federal-circuit-and.html