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Nanotechnology Patents: Will Small-Scale Science Pose Big Challenges for Applicants and the Patent Office?
The term “nanotechnology” generally refers to the fabrication and manipulation of materials and devices on the scale of about 1-100 nanometers, and has become one of the key technology buzzwords for 2004. The passage of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, Pub. L. No. 108-153, which authorized $3.7 billion in federal funding from 2005 through 2008 for the support of nanotechnology research and development, has fueled the fervor over nanotechnology. This substantial funding came as the scientific community and industries as diverse as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and petrochemicals were increasingly discovering that, when reduced to nanoscale size, ordinary bits of matter often manifest radically different physical properties. See Joseph Brean, The Next Big (Little) Thing, National Post (Feb. 6, 2004).
The excitement has spread from academia and R&D labs to Wall Street, where investors are jumping at the chance to get in on the action from the outset. In fact, investors have proven so fascinated with nanotechnology that in December 2003 a company called Nanometrics saw its stock price increase by 10% in one day of heavy trading, even though Nanometrics announced no news that day and, as it turns out, does not practice nanotechnology in any commonplace sense of the term. Rather, Nanometrics makes tools that measure thin films used in semiconductors, flat-panel displays, and disk drives. So why the jump in stock price? Simply, it appears, because Nanometrics happens to trade under the ticket symbol NANO. Rachel Beck, Investors Pour Big Money Into Latest Rage, Nanotech, The Grand Rapids Press, 2004 WL 58533128 (Jan. 11, 2004).
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It
Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough
There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later
The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.
A Lawyer's System for Active Reading
Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.
Protecting Innovation in the Cyber World from Patent Trolls
With trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.