settlement

This week’s Patently Obvious report focuses on U.S. Patent No. 5,990,405 which the Gibson Guitar Company claimed in a March 20, 2008 lawsuit that Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., MTV Networks, and Electronic Arts, Inc. infringed upon. On June 8, 2010, Gibson settled its patent infringement claims against Harmonix, Viacom, Electronic Arts, and other retailers. The terms of this settlement were undisclosed, but it can be presumed that each of the defendants paid a licensing fee in the process.

Microsoft, a 10 year veteran of mobile operating systems has stumbled in the space due to the failure of its Kin phone, forcing a reorganization of its consumer product unit. In a bid to regain lost ground in the mobile phone arena, Microsoft has put its vast resources behind the new Windows Phone 7 operating system. On October 1, 2010, on the eve the of Windows Phone 7 release, Microsoft sued Motorola, claiming that Motorola's mobile phones infringed on nine of its patents.

On October 5, 2010, NuVasive, Inc. initiated a patent infringement lawsuit against Globus Medical, Inc. over Globus Medical’s LLIF lateral fusion offerings. NuVasive claims that these instruments, implants and techniques infringe on NuVasive’s XLIF intellectual property, specifically that disclosed within U.S. Patent No. 7,691,057. In fact, this is just the most current in a string of lawsuits NuVasive has levied against competitors such as Orthofix International and a counterclaim against Medtronic.