rethink(ip)

New Magazine Covers Federal Circuit Patent Decisions

Posted by Stephen M. Nipper at January 31, 2007 11:28 AM

FedCirc.us (Matt/Doug/I) announced earlier today the availability of a free preview issue (The Resolution) of our quarterly magazine, The FedCirc.us Reader.  Download the .pdf here.

The Resolution will give you a sneak-peak at the features of the magazine.  It's jam-packed with all sorts of patent-caselaw goodness, including a 'Trend Spotting' article, a featured case review, prosecution- and litigation-focused digests, chronological and alphabetical listings of cases from last quarter (including summaries), and a fun "Quotables" section that includes some of our favorite quotes from cases issued during last quarter.

For this issue, we've even included a brief note about the story behind the FedCirc.us name and domain.

We think you'll agree that the magazine is an exciting and effective new tool for staying current on patent caselaw developments.

Of course, the free preview issue includes subscription details for the magazine.  The site will be ready to accept subscription payments starting tomorrow.

Please do download our first copy and let us know what you think.

RTIP'rs Visit Google

Posted by Douglas Sorocco at January 24, 2007 11:00 AM

Well, I almost feel like Robert Scoble... but without a videocamera in hand, a gadzillion number of readers, or a red couch.

Matt and I had the opportunity yesterday to visit Google's NYC offices in lower Manhattan.  It was an amazing experience - not just because we were almost run down by scooters and got to witness fine sushi creations being crafted by a renown sushi chef - rather, we were able to engage in a very substantive conversation on the process of rethinking copyright issues and how intellectual property information and tools will be radically different in the coming years. 

Oh yeah, the game room was wicked cool as well.  But - the conversation still ruled.

Our host at Google was Bill Patry, Senior Copyright Counsel at Google and former Copyright Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives.  Matt did a mini-review of his new copyright treatise on Rethink(IP) a week ago and it was great to be able to sit down and chat with Bill about his thoughts on rethinking issues near and dear to our hearts - most notably upturning the way in which IP information, content and tools are delivered -- the premise and underpinnings of FedCirc.us. 

Matt will begin teasing y'all with some of our thoughts on the legal treatise soon.  In the meantime, suffice it to say that Google and Bill, in particular, will be visibly leading a revolution in how copyright law impacts our day to day lives.  As Bill said, and I am paraphrasing badly here, "... copyright cannot be staid and inflexible, it has to move and breathe and be accepting of new voices and radical forms of communication..." 

We couldn't agree more and believe that such notions should also be applied to other forms of intellectual property - especially the patent grant and the law interpreting and construing that little monopoly everyone loves. 

Bill's blog - The Patry Copyright Blog - is a companion of sorts to his new treatise and I would recommend that every IP thought leader subscribe immediately. When your West rep calls - seriously consider purchasing it for your library - you will not be disappointed.

While we were wowed by the colors, games and atmosphere at Google NYC -- it was the substance of the conversation and the enthusiasm for change that really got us wired up.

Thanks Bill for a great morning - and we look forward to engaging you in the debate.

Christmas Morning in January

Posted by Douglas Sorocco at January 16, 2007 03:25 PM

While I love my Toshiba R15... my newest geek purchase is taking way too long to arrive for my taste (hint: its model number is X60 and it is made by Lenovo).  Sheesh - I ordered it yesterday and it still hasn't shipped yet.  =)

What does a guy have to do?

Rethinking the law treatise - Patry leads a revolution

Bill Patry, Senior Copyright Counsel at Google and former Copyright Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives, has done some major rethinking.  And by major, I mean, um....major.

Bill just completed a massive, seven year solo effort to craft the ultimate treatise on copyright law.  He sent me an e-mail last week announcing the availability of the treatise, and described it as "close to 6,000 pages" in "single space, printed form."

Six thousand pages?  Solo effort?  Yep...just ask Bill:  "I did 100% of the research and writing, never using assistants of any kind. "  Holy cats.

Surely Patry on Copyright will prove valuable simply because of its extensive treatment of all things copyright.  But the actual printed treatise is just the beginning.  You see, Bill didn't just sit down for the last seven years and dutifully document current copyright law.  Nope...he didn't stop with that conventional thinking.  He took it a bit farther and did a bit of rethinking.

And the copyright world stands to benefit tremendously from his effort.

How so?  Consider this:  Bill's working to back the treatise with a few web resources that, I think, will prove to be the real value in the deal.  First, he's launching the Patry Treatise Blog (uh oh, he's got the bug!) that promises to make the treatise interactive. The idea here, according to Bill, is to break out of the one-way nature of the traditional treatise and open the work up to the community....really turn it into a living, breathing document that reflects multiple viewpoints and sources on various points of law.  So, go ahead, tell Bill about the typo you found...or, better yet, tell him about "things you think should have been discussed but weren’t, or were discussed in far too brief or dismissive a way."

Books backed by websites aren't new, of course.  But the idea of a treatise backed by an interactive community resource?  That's some major rethinking that, I think, could prove quite powerful.

Bill doesn't expect to stop there, though.  He's also hopeful that a website containing the complete legislative history of the 1976 Act can be launched and integrated into the treatise and blog.  Can you imagine the interactive community plugged into a web-based, easily-navigated version of the legislative history behind the major copyright act?  Now that's powerful.

Keep an eye on this project.  I think Bill's onto something big.

Patry on Copyright is available from Thomson/West.  If you're in the market for a comprehensive copyright work, Bill's treatise - thanks to his rethinking - promises to deliver the most bang for the buck.