This week, the man behind a notorious network of patent-holding companies finds himself in an unaccustomed spot: on the defense. When it comes to litigation, Erich Spangenberg, well known for running a network of patent-holding companies, is usually a

The Judiciary Committee of the U.S. Senate passed a bill today that would ban “reverse-payment settlements,” which are settlements that end patent litigation between branded and generic drug companies in which the branded company pays money to the generic. The

For Eolas, a Texas address, Dallas lawyers, and Plano targets. Eolas Technology, a company built on a patent that originated at the University of California, has gone Texan. Eolas—having settled a previous infringement suit against Microsoft after winning a jury

The Prior Art has returned to San Francisco, where I share an office with sister publication The Recorder. Please note that office has moved to a new address: 1035 Market Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, California, 94103. The office

After four days of testimony, the “Troll Tracker” defamation lawsuit ended in a confidential settlement the day before the East Texas jury hearing it was set to begin deliberations. Plaintiff Eric Albritton and defendants Cisco Systems and Rick Frenkel, a

Plaintiffs T. John “Johnny” Ward Jr. and Eric Albritton took the stand in the closing days of this week’s closely watched Troll Tracker defamation trial, with Albritton tearfully telling the jury that two posts published by blogger—and ex-Cisco Systems lawyer—Rick

Former patent blogger Rick Frenkel took the stand in the federal courthouse in Tyler, Texas, on Wednesday, and apologized for referring to the Eastern District of Texas as a “Banana Republic” in a post he published as the “Patent Troll