Patent Law

Bum Trip

By Gary Odom and Jordan Kuhn

In an apparent non-sequitur, Avistar Communications is blaming Microsoft for its woes in having to slash its workforce by 25%. Avistar had hoped to license its patent portfolio to Microsoft. Ever the jester, Microsoft's response was to hoist a USPTO reexamination petard on all 29 of Avistar's patents. Supposedly, the PTO will only take up a reexam request given persuasive invalidity evidence. Avistar mewed it "remains hopeful of reaching a favorable resolution with Microsoft on licensing Avistar's intellectual property in the near future." For anyone with an inkling as to what Microsoft thinks of paying a "patent tax," that's positively psychedelic.

Full post as published by The Patent Prospector on March 28, 2008 (boomark / email).