Cal Poly Professor Emeritus to Offer Advice on Thwarting Patent Trolls at Upcoming RT Imaging Summit
LAS VEGAS, April 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Graphic Arts Patents, Trolls, and Searchable Data Bases is one of the hot topics being discussed at the upcoming RT Media Imaging Summit & Expo in Las Vegas' newest hotel, the South Point Hotel & Casino, Nevada, USA on May 14-15, 2015.
Dr. Harvey R. Levenson -- Professor Emeritus, Graphic Communication Department, from California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo, California -- will offer advice on protecting patented technology from "Patent Trolls" who are increasingly attempting to extort large sums of money from OEMs and users of technology, claiming that they are infringing on previously issued patents.
Dr. Levenson will point out that patents are the driving force behind technology developments in the worldwide graphic arts community. With high levels of patent production come problems, particularly in the area of software patents. Even when hardware is developed, such as desktop printers, computer-to-plate (CTP) devices, printing presses, and related technology, the hardware is driven by software.
Software is "the invisible technology," Dr. Levenson says that it is often difficult for graphic arts product developers to know when they are violating existing patents or for users of technology to know when there are patent protections behind technology that they purchased. This has resulted in expensive lawsuits with the most vulnerable groups being small- and medium-sized companies that do not have the resources to fund what are often long and drawn-out legal proceedings.
A major problem, Dr. Levenson points out, is the growth of "Patent Trolls." Trolls are fictitious or real companies that buy-up patents for the sole purpose of locating users of the technology that the patents teach, and demand either one-time large payments or expensive ongoing licensing fees similar to royalties. Jobs and company survival are threatened because companies can be forced out of business by trolls, resulting in many people losing their jobs. Rather then fight trolls in expensive lawsuits, many companies give-in the troll demands. But they shouldn't, Dr. Levenson advocates.
This presentation will provide strategies for preventing such "extortion" from taking place.
The reality, according to Dr. Levenson, is that many of the patents held by trolls are invalid, as the technology taught has been disclosed in previously issued patents or in other industry literate or presentations, called "Prior Art". Knowing how to explore Prior Art is the key to fighting trolls and protecting companies from the "extortion" that trolls impose.
This presentation by Dr. Levenson will cover background on patents in the graphic arts; what is Prior Art and its value to OEMs and printers; using Prior Art to defend against patent trolls; where can prior art be found; how to identify Prior Art to invalidate existing patents; a central resource for OEMs and technology users to discover Prior Art.
Dr. Levenson's session will be of value to hardware and software producers—the OEMs; content creators—the creative people in marketing, advertising, design, publishing, etc.; and to service providers—the technology users such as commercial printers, specialty printers, in-plant printers packaging printers, digital imaging companies, and related companies.
For details on registration, sponsorships and exhibiting, see: http://www.irecyclingtimes.com/Conference-Info?conference_id=17
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Recycling Times Media Corporation
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SOURCE Recycling Times Media Corporation
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