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Patents

In the wake of Apple's patent infringement victory over Samsung, many are asking: "What are the practical implications and repercussions of the verdict?"

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Apple vs. Samsung legal warupdated: Fri Aug 24 2012 10:57:00

Dan Simon on the patent dispute between Apple and Samsung, which is now in the hands of a California jury.

The Apple versus Samsung patent showdown explainedupdated: Fri Jul 27 2012 12:04:00

Did Apple rip off Samsung's intellectual property to create the iPhone, or did Samsung pilfer Apple's patents when it took on the iPad and iPhone with a slew of mobile devices and tablets?

Apple wins ban on two Android devices: What it means for youupdated: Tue Jul 03 2012 15:07:00

Last week, a U.S. District judge dealt a serious blow to Google and Samsung by slapping an injunction on the Galaxy Nexus phone and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in a patent infringement lawsuit.

Smartphone patent warsupdated: Sun May 20 2012 21:26:00

Kristie Lu Stout explains the long-running legal fight between Apple and Samsung

Apple and Samsung begin settlement talksupdated: Sun May 20 2012 21:26:00

"It's very important that Apple not become the developer for the world," Tim Cook, Apple chief executive, told analysts last month. "We need people to invent their own stuff."

Report: Facebook bought 750 patents from IBMupdated: Fri Mar 23 2012 12:17:00

The patent war between Facebook and Yahoo may be only just starting.

Opinion: How Yahoo weaponized my work updated: Wed Mar 14 2012 15:11:00

While most of the tech world was partying at South by Southwest in Austin yesterday, Yahoo announced it was filing a lawsuit against Facebook for allegedly infringing on 10 patents from their 1,000+ patent warehouse.

New Apple patent would shield against broken glassupdated: Mon Nov 21 2011 09:30:00

Apple is a powerhouse of ingenuity, patenting ideas as soon as an engineer can scratch them down on paper (or iPad). Around three dozen Apple patents made their way through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office this week alone.

Apple secures patents on China storesupdated: Wed Sep 21 2011 22:37:00

Apple has been granted patents on some of the distinctive elements of its store designs in China as the US company moves to better protect itself against rampant copying of not only its products but also its sales channels on the Chinese mainland.

CNNMoney: Patent trolls cost inventors half a trillion dollarsupdated: Wed Sep 21 2011 05:19:00

Patent trolls -- companies that license patents but do not actually sell anything -- have long been looked on with fiery scorn in Silicon Valley. This week, a Boston University study offered fresh fuel for those flames.

Obama signs patent reform billupdated: Fri Sep 16 2011 12:02:00

President Barack Obama signed legislation Friday that will overhaul the U.S. patent system for the first time since 1952.

CNNMoney: Will patent reform really create 200,000 jobs?updated: Fri Sep 16 2011 11:57:00

America's first significant patent reform in six decades is close to becoming law: It passed Congress on Thursday and President Obama has declared that he will sign the bill.

CNNMoney: Sweeping patent changes poised to become lawupdated: Fri Sep 09 2011 12:40:00

Congress on Thursday passed legislation that will reform the U.S. patent system for the first time since the Truman administration.

CNNMoney: Google to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billionupdated: Thu Aug 18 2011 11:39:00

In a surprise deal that would be its largest acquisition ever, Google has agreed to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, the two companies said Monday.

CNNMoney: When Silicon Valley fights, patents are the deadliest weaponupdated: Thu Aug 18 2011 05:23:00

Patents have dominated the tech news headlines lately, with industry leaders such as Google, Apple and Microsoft spending billions to beef up their intellectual property portfolios.

CNNMoney: Patent reform is finally on its wayupdated: Fri Jun 24 2011 11:05:00

Patent reform cleared another major hurdle on Thursday, when the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to approve a bill that would fundamentally change the way the government treats intellectual property.

CNNMoney: Obama patent czar: 'Millions of jobs lying in wait'updated: Wed Mar 30 2011 14:02:00

Overhauling the United States' outdated and flawed patent system has been talked about for decades, but reform could finally be around the corner -- for real, this time.

Fortune: Generics' new legal attack: Big Pharma's aging patentsupdated: Fri Mar 11 2011 15:26:00

Big Pharma faces a host of well-known problems, most notably that its blockbuster drugs are coming off patent at the same time that its pipeline of new drugs has turned into a drip. But the leading pharmaceutical companies like Novartis, Merck and Bayer are also battling another costly headache -- legal challenges to their existing patents are increasing with the rapidity of a centrifuge.

Can China become an intellectual property powerhouse?updated: Mon Feb 14 2011 23:43:00

China doesn't have the best reputation for respecting intellectual property rights.

CNNMoney: Motorola files patent suit against Appleupdated: Thu Oct 07 2010 11:53:00

Motorola Inc. announced Wednesday that it has filed three complaints against Apple over alleged patent infringements in its popular wireless and mobile devices.

CNNMoney: Microsoft co-founder sues Apple, Google over patentsupdated: Fri Aug 27 2010 16:23:00

Microsoft's co-founder Paul Allen is suing Apple and Google, plus nine other companies, for patent infringement.

CNNMoney: Patent troll sues Apple, Google, and most of the tech universeupdated: Fri Jul 09 2010 18:02:00

NTP Inc., a patent holding company that shook up the tech world several years ago by extracting a pricey legal settlement from BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, announced Friday it had launched a fresh barrage of patent infringement lawsuits against the tech world's leading lights.

CNNMoney: Want more jobs? Fix the broken patent systemupdated: Mon Jun 21 2010 04:53:00

After decades of inaction, lawmakers are finally closing in on a sweeping overhaul of America's antiquated, underfunded and extremely broken patent process. The popular move could help spur much-needed innovation and job creation -- but first, it has to get through a Senate logjam.

Fortune: What DNA, Patents and Lady Gaga have in commonupdated: Wed Mar 17 2010 04:22:00

When radio was invented in the late nineteenth century by the likes of Marconi, Edison, and Tesla, government and industry faced a conundrum. Who would own the limited band of electromagnetic frequencies that made this new invention possible?

Is Apple launching a patent war?updated: Thu Mar 04 2010 13:54:00

First, there was the Macintosh. Then it was the iPod, the iPhone, and now the iPad. Next up in Apple's arsenal: The lawyers.

CNNMoney: Nokia escalates Apple patent battleupdated: Tue Dec 29 2009 14:46:00

The world's top mobile phone maker Nokia launched a new patent broadside against Apple, escalating a battle for control of the smartphone market that has already led to a flurry of lawsuits.

CNNMoney: Recession's latest victim: U.S. innovationupdated: Fri Dec 11 2009 10:34:00

U.S. innovation slowed this year for the first time in 13 years as the recession cut into budgets, and costs to protect inventions rose.

How human genes become patentedupdated: Thu May 14 2009 16:15:00

Here's a little-known fact: Under current law, it's possible to hold a patent on a piece of human DNA, otherwise known as a gene.

U.S. sued over patented geneupdated: Thu May 14 2009 16:15:00

The government is being sued over the patent it holds for the BRCA1 and BRACA2 genes. Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains.

ACLU sues over patents on breast cancer genesupdated: Thu May 14 2009 15:51:00

Myriad Genetics, a Utah-based company, vowed Wednesday to "vigorously defend" itself against a legal challenge to its patents on two human genes linked to breast and ovarian cancers, its attorney told CNN.

Fortune: Big tech gets legal aid in the patent warsupdated: Mon Jun 30 2008 12:16:00

In an effort to stamp out so-called patent trolls, several big tech shops have joined a club that will acquire intellectual property to keep it out of the hands of litigious profiteers.

FSB: Is your idea safe?updated: Mon Apr 28 2008 09:16:00

When Mark Publicover sees his kids bounce against the safety net that wraps around their trampoline, he beams with paternal pride - the device, invented 11 years ago, was his brainchild.

FSB: How patenting protects your inventionsupdated: Fri Jan 04 2008 09:26:00

Dear FSB: How does one with limited funds go about moving an idea into the mainstream without risking it being stolen by a large entity with staff counsel and other lawyers capable of litigating the matter ad infinitum?

Fortune: A radical plan to lower drug costsupdated: Fri Nov 30 2007 09:53:00

What to do about the high cost of drugs? A cadre of academics and economists has a radical new answer: Take away the exclusive product patents the government grants a new drug and replace them with cash awards to the innovating company.

CNNMoney: Apple, Microsoft cheer big win in Congressupdated: Sat Sep 08 2007 00:12:00

Technology and financial services firms won a key patent reform victory Friday when the House approved legislation the industries have pushed for years by a vote of 220-175.

CNNMoney: Microsoft wins patent ruling appealupdated: Tue Aug 07 2007 03:19:00

A U.S. judge Monday threw out a record $1.5 billion verdict against Microsoft Corp, ruling the world's largest software had not infringed on audio technology patents held by France's Alcatel-Lucent.

CNNMoney: Sony, 3M settle battery patent disputeupdated: Mon Jul 30 2007 02:57:00

3M Co. said Monday it has reached agreement in patent settlement with Sony Corp. over the technology in a type of battery used in laptop computers and cell phones.

FSB: Legal resources for entrepreneursupdated: Wed Jul 11 2007 05:08:00

Seeking legal advice can be costly. Get more out of your next conversation with your lawyer by doing some homework ahead of time. Here are some useful sites and articles to help you take a proactive approach to issues that often result in legal suits - so you can stay out of the court room.

CNNMoney: A Hollywood inventor protests the patent billupdated: Mon Jul 02 2007 22:37:00

In 45 years, George Margolin has patented 26 inventions, including a front-screen projection system (1964) that Hollywood used for special effects in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the James Bond films and Superman. He patented the folding computer keyboard in 1973, and a new type of anti-stick medical syringe in 1993. Three years ago, with a co-inventor, he patented a new method to keep computer chips from overheating. At 77, he continues to run Newport Beach, Calif. -based Margolin Development (www.margolin-development.com), which makes its money from licensing patents and consulting to companies such as such as AT&T Labs, Estee Lauder, MGM Studios and Safeguard Business Systems. Fortune Small Business special correspondent Ann Therese Palmer caught up with Margolin to find out why he so strongly opposes the proposed patent-reform bill, which includes a change that would favor inventors who were the "first to file" for patent protection above those who came up with ideas first. (For

FSB: Will Congress Slam Small Inventors?updated: Sun Jul 01 2007 00:00:00

STEVE WREN IS THE kind of yeoman inventor that the drafters of the Constitution had in mind when they commanded Congress to write a patent law "to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts." In exchange for publishing patents and sharing their knowledge, little guys like Wren got exclusive rights to the use of their ideas for 20 years. The system helped make the U.S. the innovation capital of the world.

CNNMoney: Blockbuster, Netflix settle patent disputeupdated: Wed Jun 27 2007 00:37:00

Video rental chain Blockbuster Inc. said Wednesday it settled a patent dispute with rival Netflix Inc. that challenged Blockbuster's entry into online DVD rental, but it signaled that the new business was taking a toll on its finances.

FSB: Will Congress slam small inventors?updated: Tue Jun 19 2007 06:09:00

Steve Wren is the kind of yeoman inventor that the drafters of the Constitution had in mind when they commanded Congress to write a patent law "to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts." In exchange for publishing patents and sharing their knowledge, little guys like Wren got exclusive rights to the use of their ideas for 20 years. The system helped make the U.S. the innovation capital of the world.

Fortune: Microsoft takes on the free worldupdated: Mon May 14 2007 09:35:00

Free software is great, and corporate America loves it. It's often high-quality stuff that can be downloaded free off the Internet and then copied at will. It's versatile - it can be customized to ...

CNNMoney: India's elephant in the room: Weak patent lawsupdated: Fri May 04 2007 10:24:00

India's fast-growing biotech business has the potential to be one of the driving forces behind its enviable 8 percent GDP growth, and a government estimate sees the industry increasing 15-fold over the next eight years.

Fortune: Vonage and the case of the missing ad copyupdated: Wed May 02 2007 16:12:00

Readers of the The Wall Street Journal on April 27 may have noticed something unusual about the full-page ad on the back of the Marketplace section: a blacked-out sentence right in the middle of a block of text. Journal readers were left wondering: Was the hastily Magic Marker-ed out line part of the ad's creative message? Or was it covering up something truly offensive?

CNNMoney: Supreme Court ruling could squeeze Big Pharmaupdated: Tue May 01 2007 14:37:00

The waves from a Supreme Court decision that undermines patents on gas pedals could hit Big Pharma like a truck, say some experts.

CNNMoney: The bill that could rock biotechupdated: Mon Apr 30 2007 05:54:00

Lawmakers are pushing forward with legislation that could help create generic competition for Big Biotech, drastically lowering the costs of expensive biotech drugs and changing the landscape in the pharmaceutical industry forever.

CNNMoney: Big Pharma teaches old drugs new tricksupdated: Wed Mar 21 2007 12:02:00

As Big Pharma faces patent expirations on some of its most lucrative drugs, the industry is trying to reinvigorate sales by finding creative ways to land new patents - but on the same old drugs.

CNNMoney: Tercica stock suffers despite patent winupdated: Fri Mar 09 2007 10:06:00

Tercica Inc., the maker of a growth-deficiency drug for children, suffered a stock price plunge and an analyst's downgrade after reporting fourth-quarter earnings, despite winning a crucial patent battle.

CNNMoney: Microsoft ordered to pay $1.52B in patent suitupdated: Thu Feb 22 2007 16:13:00

A federal jury said Thursday that software maker Microsoft Corp. infringed audio patents held by Alcatel-Lucent and should pay $1.52 billion in damages.

CNNMoney: Microsoft and Ma Bell in Supreme Court duelupdated: Fri Feb 16 2007 11:31:00

Call it a battle of the titans.

Notable scientists: Breaking barriersupdated: Fri Feb 02 2007 14:34:00

From space exploration to long-lasting light bulbs, black men and women of science have significantly altered American society. The following is just a sampling of African Americans who have saved and changed lives by breaking new ground in science and technology.

Fortune: The high price of drug patentsupdated: Wed Jan 31 2007 07:11:00

In Canada and in the pharmaceutical industry, a 64-year-old man named Bernard Sherman has been famous - some might say infamous - for years.

CNNMoney: Abuse-resistant OxyContin faces hurdlesupdated: Fri Jan 19 2007 11:17:00

Durect is developing an abuse-resistant form of the addictive painkiller OxyContin that has a good shot at being a blockbuster, but it faces a minefield of potential patent battles.

CNNMoney: Pfizer plan fails to wow Wall Streetupdated: Tue Jan 16 2007 11:36:00

Pfizer appears to be getting ready to slash thousands more workers and shut down some of its plants, but part two of CEO Jeffrey Kindler's plan to revitalize the struggling drugmaker did not inspire rave reviews on Wall Street Tuesday.

Money Magazine: Investing after Pfizer's flop - 3 strategiesupdated: Mon Dec 04 2006 17:55:00

Pfizer's decision to suspend tests of its latest drug for the treatment of high cholesterol underscores the key problem facing most large pharmaceutical companies. Once a drugmaker has reached a certain size, it's an enormous challenge to generate new blockbusters fast enough to maintain a high growth rate.

CNNMoney: Heart drug pulled, Pfizer tumblesupdated: Mon Dec 04 2006 10:56:00

Pfizer stock tumbled Monday after the world's biggest drugmaker abruptly pulled the plug on its most important experimental medicine - a drug meant to treat heart disease that instead caused an increase in deaths and heart problems in people taking it in a clinical trial.

CNNMoney: The big threat to Big Pharmaupdated: Tue Oct 31 2006 11:01:00

The threat to Big Pharma is real - the nation's drugmakers stand to lose nearly seven percent of their sales to drugs going off patent this year - and more CEOs who don't get ahead of the problem could end up losing their jobs.

CNNMoney: Apple + new patent = iPhone speculationupdated: Fri Oct 27 2006 08:35:00

Apple Computer Inc. won a patent for a speech-recognition technology earlier this week, fueling speculation that the iPod-maker is laying the groundwork for a future "iPhone."

CNNMoney: Patent losses taking toll on drug marketupdated: Wed Oct 25 2006 09:27:00

The worldwide drug market will continue to grow in 2007, but at a slightly slower pace as patent losses on blockbuster drugs take their toll, according to a forecast from IMS Health.

CNNMoney: IBM hits Amazon with patent suitsupdated: Mon Oct 23 2006 09:47:00

IBM has filed two patent infringement lawsuits against Amazon.com for unspecified damages, the company announced Monday.

FSB: 3-D without glassesupdated: Thu Oct 12 2006 13:06:00

HinesLab is open for business, but you'd never know it. It is tucked away in a corner of a dreary industrial park in Glendale, Calif. The front door is bolted and covered with a black shroud. Insid...

CNNMoney: High court mulls first business case of termupdated: Mon Oct 02 2006 09:32:00

In the first business case to hit the U.S. Supreme Court's docket this term, the chief justices will have to decide whether biotech firm Medimmune can have its cake and eat it too.

Fortune: Bruised ImClone takes another hitupdated: Tue Sep 19 2006 16:19:00

With its already-battered stock price sagging on the news of a sweeping patent-trial defeat Monday, ImClone Systems is hoping its chances will look up with an appeal. But the judge's decision doesn't appear to offer ImClone a lot of hope.

Fortune: Patently unfairupdated: Fri Sep 08 2006 06:01:00

On the top floor of a drab apartment building on the edge of New Delhi, Ram Meher, 35, is taking his AIDS medicine, as he has every day for the past three years. Meher is a struggling wheat and sug...

Fortune: Is my loophole really legit?updated: Thu Sep 07 2006 14:47:00

The IRS has a surprising new enemy in the battle against abusive tax shelters: the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In recent years the Patent Office has begun granting patents to people who claim...

Fortune: ImClone's next headacheupdated: Tue Sep 05 2006 12:30:00

Imclone, the biotech best known for a stock collapse that helped land founder Sam Waksal and his pal Martha Stewart in the slammer, could use a dose of good news.

Fortune: Taxes: Patent that loopholeupdated: Wed Aug 30 2006 08:02:00

The Internal Revenue Service has a surprising new enemy in the battle against abusive tax shelters: The United States Patent and Trademark Office.

CNNMoney: Bristol-Myers, Sanofi try to save Plavixupdated: Fri Aug 18 2006 10:18:00

A New York judge decides today whether to honor a legal attack from Bristol-Myers and Sanofi-Aventis, which are trying to halt the generic production of their blockbuster drug Plavix.

FSB: Vision questupdated: Wed Aug 16 2006 12:50:00

It's easy to spot Ron Lando in a crowded bar. He told me that he'd be holding a catalog from CliC, his eyewear company, but I recognize him before I can see what he's reading. He's the only guy her...

Fortune: Patent review goes Wikiupdated: Wed Aug 16 2006 10:16:00

The problem: an epidemic of shoddy patents.

CNNMoney: Missing the $20 billion biogeneric boomupdated: Mon Aug 14 2006 13:22:00

A huge new industry - biogenerics - is waiting to be born.

CNNMoney: Ariad v Lilly, Part II: The next big patent battleupdated: Fri Aug 04 2006 14:19:00

The bell's about to sound for the next round in a patent fight that the entire pharmaceutical industry is watching.

CNNMoney: Pfizer may lose billions in Lipitor salesupdated: Wed Aug 02 2006 15:34:00

Pfizer's basic patent on its top-selling drug Lipitor was upheld in federal court Wednesday, but a second, longer-running patent was ruled invalid, possibly eliminating billions of dollars in potential sales.

CNNMoney: Pfizer needs more drugsupdated: Mon Jul 17 2006 13:58:00

The world's biggest drugmaker is launching a potential blockbuster today, but it's going to take more than that for the company to pull out of its rut.

Business 2.0: Cashing in on the patent messupdated: Mon Jul 17 2006 07:08:00

Pretty nearly everyone who deals with patents in the United States agrees on one thing: The system is a mess. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is swamped with a backlog of 600,000 applications ...

CNNMoney: High court loads up on business casesupdated: Tue Jul 11 2006 08:04:00

The U.S. Supreme Court may be in recess until the fall, but Corporate America is already keeping a close eye on a number of influential business cases on the high court's docket for next term.

Fortune: Who's afraid of Nathan Myhrvold?updated: Mon Jul 10 2006 00:01:00

Nathan Myhrvold says he doesn't know what everybody is so upset about.

CNNMoney: Zocor losing patent protectionupdated: Fri Jun 23 2006 07:37:00

Two of the biggest blockbuster drugs from the two biggest drugmakers in America are losing patent protection this month, setting the stage for a multi-billion dollar sales vacuum.

CNNMoney: Zocor and Zoloft face patent expirationupdated: Thu Jun 15 2006 11:13:00

Two of the biggest blockbuster drugs from the two biggest drug makers in America are losing patent protection this month, setting the stage for a multi-billion dollar sales vacuum.

Business 2.0: How to build a bulletproof startupupdated: Wed May 24 2006 11:41:00

It's the spring of 2006, and the sweet scent of entrepreneurship is in the air. Growing numbers of Americans are pursuing their startup dreams. According to the National Venture Capital Association...

Business 2.0: Phase two: Prototype the productupdated: Wed May 17 2006 16:21:00

A prototype is where the rubber starts to hit the road: It's the first physical embodiment of your business idea, and a tool you'll use to attract the resources you need to grow. Don't confuse a prototype with the final product -- a distracting and potentially fatal mistake. Pretty looks aren't important. A good prototype is just a working demonstration that showcases what your product will do.

Business 2.0: Cops and bloggers join forces on LAPD siteupdated: Tue May 16 2006 14:26:00

SAN FRANCISCO (Business 2.0 Magazine) - Boing Boing reports this morning that Chief William Bratton and the LAPD have gone Web 2.0, setting up a blog and a Flickr stream with the help of Sean Bonner at metroblogging. Bonner hopes "other law enforcement departments across the state, and country, will soon be following their lead." According to TechNewsWorld, the blog is part of the redesigned www.lapdonline.org site which has seen its traffic more than double recently to 30 million "hits" a month, and which also includes "crime maps and an e-policing feature." While still nascent, this sort of thing puts a whole new, real-world spin on social computing. "What the blog does is allow people to take a look inside the LAPD," said Lt. Ruben De La Torre to TechNewsWorld. Beyond the financial implications for tools providers like Yahoo! (parent of Flickr), it should be interesting to see how the LAPD manages such transparency, not to mention the brave new world of user-contributed content.

CNNMoney: Celgene patents stem cell technologyupdated: Tue May 16 2006 08:30:00

Celgene Corp., a biotech specializing in stem cell research, patented its methods for recovering stem cells from a human placenta after birth, the company said.

CNNMoney: Lilly sues Barr over Prozac Weeklyupdated: Thu May 11 2006 14:59:00

Eli Lilly & Co. sued Barr Pharmaceuticals, a maker of generic drugs, for patent infringement over the antidepressant Prozac Weekly, said the companies on Thursday.

Business 2.0: As DSL slows, AT&T looks for alternativesupdated: Tue May 09 2006 11:51:00

As long-distance revenues plummet and customers disconnect phone lines in favor of cell phones and VOIP, DSL has provided burgeoning broadband revenues for local phone companies. But could DSL be slowing down? Business 2.0 senior writer Om Malik notes that, according to research by investment bank UBS, fewer households are signing up for DSL as a percentage of homes where the service is available. That has AT&T, for one, scrambling to provide other options, including satellite broadband, high-speed fixed wireless connections, and fiber-optic lines. The new initiatives could help AT&T serve another 11.5 million households, the company estimates.

CNNMoney: Eli Lilly hit with $65M damagesupdated: Fri May 05 2006 08:16:00

A federal jury ruled that Eli Lilly & Co. infringed the patent of Ariad Pharmaceuticals with its drugs Evista and Xigris, and ordered the drugmaker to pay the Massachusetts biotech firm $65.2 million, the companies said.

CNNMoney: Teva: Riding a Zocor popupdated: Tue May 02 2006 10:29:00

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, the world's biggest maker of generic drugs, could enjoy hundreds of millions of dollars in extra revenue this year and a substantial increase to its earnings, thanks to a court ruling this week regarding the cholesterol drug Zocor.

CNNMoney: Blackberry maker put on patent defensive againupdated: Mon May 01 2006 14:39:00

Blackberry maker Research in Motion will face a patent lawsuit from mobile email company Visto seeking an injunction and monetary damages, according to Visto.

CNNMoney: Big Pharma stocks: A bumpy riseupdated: Thu Apr 13 2006 08:26:00

Big Pharma stocks have had a decent year and analysts say they're poised to climb higher. But investors will have to be able to stomach some uncertainty.

CNNMoney: FDA backlog = Billions for Big Pharma?updated: Mon Apr 10 2006 08:19:00

Big Pharma could land billions of dollars in annual sales that it would have lost to generic competitors thanks to a Food and Drug Administration backlog of applications for generic drugs.

CNNMoney: Who stands to gain when Zoloft goes generic?updated: Tue Apr 04 2006 15:27:00

Zoloft, the antidepressant with the household name, is going off patent this summer, forcing Pfizer to bid adieu to billions of dollars in annual sales.

Fortune: eBay gets the BlackBerry treatmentupdated: Tue Mar 28 2006 07:59:00

The lawsuit that nearly shut down the country's BlackBerry e-mail devices vaulted the normally obscure issue of patents into the national spotlight this winter.

CNNMoney: Bristol, Sanofi stock surges on Plavix dealupdated: Wed Mar 22 2006 12:22:00

The stock price for drug makers Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis surged Wednesday, after reaching a tentative settlement the previous day with generic manufacturer Apotex that could protect the patent on anti-blood clot drug Plavix until 2011.

CNNMoney: Sanofi-Aventis, Bristol-Myers in Plavix settlementupdated: Tue Mar 21 2006 16:56:00

Sanofi-Aventis and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. said on Tuesday they have reached a settlement in a patent dispute with generic drug maker Apotex Inc. that could keep patent protection on their multibillion-dollar blood thinner Plavix well into 2011.

Fortune: eBay Sets Precedentupdated: Mon Mar 20 2006 00:01:00

Patent law, still focused more on razorblades than cellphones, may get a dramatic update if the Supreme Court weighs in after hearing oral arguments March 29 in eBay v. MercExchange. "It's an extre...

CNNMoney: Pfizer's comeback trailupdated: Thu Mar 09 2006 13:31:00

Pfizer stock's got battered and bloodied last year, but it's making a comeback.

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