Patent Law

Patent Looting

By Gary Odom and Jordan Kuhn

A mob of more than 180 German police and customs officials goose-stepped into Europe's largest gadget uber-fair, and hauled off 68 cartons of booty alleged to be patent infringing. While "innocent until proven guilty" is the lip service, guilty until proven innocent is the reality worldwide; the raid was instigated by "criminal complaints by the holders of patent rights in the run-up to CeBit."

China-based Meizu Technology's booth was shuttered, their entire stock confiscated. Meizu had been sporting a IPod-ish MP3 player, a smartphone, and other techno-goodies. One Hanover cop was overheard to marvel "nice" while pocketing a crafty criminal trinket.

Italy-based Sisvel had cell phones, televisions and satellite navigation systems snatched under the rubric of patent infringement for audio compression software.

Most companies paid bond and were released. One prosecutor characterized most as cooperative in the little Spanish Inquisition foreplay.

U.S. police don't enjoy such luxury, as patent infringement is a civil offense. The exception is an import ban upon an order from the International Trade Commission, which allows U.S. customs agents to seize goods.

Worldwide, police are the most frequent criminals, daily committing with impunity a wide variety of crimes, from traffic misdemeanors to violent felonies, all under the guise of law enforcement.

Full post as published by The Patent Prospector on March 07, 2008 (boomark / email).