On 21 December 2006 the Washington Research Foundation (WRF), which manages the intellectual property of Washington State’s public universities, filed a lawsuit alleging infringement of four patents concerning Bluetooth technology.

The company may top the US's patents league, but IBM still thinks the system is broken.

Watertight protection is more important than the speed with which patents are granted, according to a survey of business and academia.

The patents juggernaut chugs out of the lay-by as Charlie McCreevy sets out his latest vision following the large scale consultation that took place earlier this year.

Indian firms are training large numbers of patent agents - with their eye on the large number of companies abroad looking for cheaper patenting.

Lots of buzz preceded what was billed as the world's first live, multi-lot technology patent auction on April 6, but reality failed to meet expectations for many of the inventors who put up 400-plus patents for sale.