Google now indexes and searches federal and state case law through the new beta version of Google Scholar. While still in its beta phase, Google Scholar should significantly reduce legal research costs for legal professionals and laypersons alike.  The impact Google Scholar will have on large legal research companies like Westlaw and Lexis is uncertain; however, one would expect to see some sort of response shortly.

While Google Scholar does not provide many of the features that Westlaw and Lexis provide, it does allow one to search legal opinions totally free.  It also provides a reference index of cases and articles citing a selected case.  Legal articles may also be searched, but some articles, such as Law Review articles, must be purchased.  Try out Google Scholar at  http://scholar.google.com.

        

Chris Johnson, founder of the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute (SCI) at the University of Utah, will be the 2009 recipient of the prestigious Cyber Pioneer Award.  The award will be presented by Alan Hall, chair of the Utah Technology Council on September 25, 2009 at the 2009 Cyber Symposium.

This past year, Chris Johnson has spun-off new award winning computer visualization technology, sold another computer visualization company, established an NVIDIA research center in the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City, created a business launch pad for future computer technology startups, and contemporaneously runs a $14 million, 165 person, nationally renowned research center at the University of Utah.  

Chris’s SCI Institute distributes and maintains 13 different computer visualization packages.   Chris has brought national recognition to the SCI Institute and recently spoke at the Library of Congress on how computer imaging has changed the face of medicine.   You can see Chris’s speech at the Library of Congress below.

        

Alan Hall, founder and chairman of Grow Utah Ventures, will be presenting the Cyber Pioneer Award at Cyber Symposium 2009.  The 2009 Cyber Pioneer Award honoree is expected to be announced later this week.  The award will be presented to an individual who in the previous year has been a pioneer in Utah’s high tech industry.  Presentation of the award will take place in the Garden Visitors Center at Thanksgiving Point on Friday, September 25, 2009 during Cyber Symposium 2009.

Alan Hall has been a lifetime leader in Utah’s high tech industry so it is intuitive to have him present the Cyber Pioneer Award.  For example, under Alan Hall’s leadership, Grow Utah Ventures is supervising the state-wide rollout of SEED Utah, a private initiative to increase entrepreneurism.  In fact, Mr. Hall, a prevalent Angel investor, has personally made at least sixty investments in early stage Utah technology companies.

Mr. Hall was the 2009 Mountain West Capital Network Entrepreneur of the Year and the 1997 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the State of Utah.  Mr. Hall is also the founder, former CEO, and chairman of MarketStar Corporation.  MarketStar is an outsourced global marketing and sales organization that represents thirty of the world's largest high tech companies, helping them generate billions of dollars in revenues.

Mr. Hall continues to be highly involved in the high tech market.  For example, last year, Alan Hall and Greg Warnock launched Mercato Partners, a multi-million dollar venture capital firm that will focus on investing in the marketing and sales growth of U.S. high tech companies. 

Mr. Hall is also currently chairman of the Utah Technology Council; a member of Wells Fargo's community advisory board; a founding board member of World Trade Center Utah; sits on the board of the Intermountain Healthcare Foundation; and a member of the board of trustees of Weber State University. He was also the Utah co-chair of Romney for President. He and his wife Jeanne are chairman and president of the Hall Foundation, which has the motto "No poor among us."

        

Microsoft breathed some temporary relief as the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit stayed a recently issued permanent injunction, which prohibited Microsoft from selling Word products having XML capabilities. The injunction was originally issued by a U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in the i4i v. Microsoft case.  The District Court's injunction, however, was stayed yesterday in a per curiam decision from the Federal Circuit stating that "Microsoft has met its burden to obtain a stay of the injunction." Microsoft, however, is not out of the woods yet because the stay is only provisional, meaning relief from the injunction will only continue pending a determination by the Federal Circuit of the merits of Microsoft's appeal. 

The 2006 eBay v. MercExchange case, a unanimous decision by the United States Supreme Court in which the Supreme Court vacated an injunction against eBay, will likely have a significant impact on the i4i v. Microsoft case. The appeal from the permanent injunction against Microsoft Word products having XML capabilities will be highly followed and is expected to receive an enormous amount of commentary.

        

Derek Miller, who heads the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) for newly inaugurated Governor Gary Herbert, will present the State of Utah Technology Address at Cyber Symposium 2009.  The State of Utah Technology Address is expected to offer the Utah GOED’s perspective on the current state of Utah’s high tech industry along with some of the GOED’s goals in this regard.  The speech is highly anticipated because it will be one of the GOED’s first public presentations on the subject since the inauguration of Governor Herbert.   Cyber Symposium 2009 will take place Friday, September 25, 2009 at the Garden Visitors Center at Thanksgiving Point, Lehi, Utah.  For more information about Cyber Symposium 2009 see www.utahcyberlaw.org.

        

The International Trademark Association (INTA) announced in its August 1, 2009 Bulletin that INTA passed a resolution to oppose the current proposal by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Domain Names and Numbers (ICANN) for an unlimited expansion of new generic Top-Level Domain Names (gTLDs).

ICANN sets and manages global policies for Internet gTLDs and has proposed expanding from the 21 existing gTLDs, e.g., .com, .org, and .net, to an unlimited number of gTLDs.  A number of organizations in addition to INTA have expressed opposition to ICANN’s proposed expansion of gTLDs.  Some view the new policy as a money grab.  Others focus on the concerns regarding increased potential for trademark infringement and dilution and complaints that ICANN’s existing system has not been effective at protecting trademarks against cybersquatters already trading among the current gTLDs.

According to the INTA Bulletin, INTA will be issuing a revised Draft Applicant Guidebook for new gTLDs in September 2009.  Text of INTA’s resolution opposing the proposed unlimited expansion of gTLDs can be found at www.inta.org.

Expansion of new gTLDs has been a hot topic among domain name and trademark professionals, including business and legal professionals and cyber entrepreneurs.  If this topic interests you, consider attending Cyber Symposium 2009 in Lehi, Utah on September 25, 2009.  Cyber Symposium 2009 is a full day seminar for business and legal professionals interested in strengthening their presence in the high tech industry.  Douglas R. Bush, a partner in Arent Fox’s Intellectual Property practice group in Washington, DC, will be lecturing at the Cyber Symposium on the new gTLDs and on monetizing domain names.  For more info see: www.utahcyberlaw.org.

        

Microsoft must be sucking an Actiq* lollipop right now to sequester  the pain from the legal beating they took yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.   The Eastern District of Texas held that Microsoft unlawfully and willfully infringed U.S. Patent 5,787,449, which relates to the manipulation of document architecture and content, particularly data representation and transformations.  Sounds complicated, but in this case it really boils down to XML files. 

Damages and interest awarded against Microsoft total over $277,241,000.  Maybe more importantly is that the Court permanently enjoined Microsoft from selling Word 2003, Word 2007 and any future Microsoft Word products that have the capability of opening .XML, .DOCX, or .DOCM files – basically XML files.  Ironically, I am writing this news article using Microsoft Word 2007.  Fortunately, the injunction does not go into effect for 60 days, so I am safe.  Phew! 

Microsoft is also permanently enjoined from using, instructing or encouraging anyone to use, providing support or assistance to anyone or doing any testing, demonstrating, or marketing of any of the Microsoft Word products describing the ability to open XML files.  Talk about tough love.

Of course, there are a couple of exceptions to the Order.  For example, the injunction does not apply to Word products opening of XML in plain text.  The injunction also does not apply to Word products that upon opening an XML file also apply a custom transform that removes all custom XML elements.  Sound paradoxical?

Fortunately, and maybe most importantly, the injunction also does not apply to Microsoft providing support and assistance to anyone wanting to open XML files if their Word product was licensed or sold before the date of the injunction. 

*Actiq is a raspberry-flavored lollipop loaded with narcotic pain-killer for treatment of cancer patients.

        

Cyber Symposium 2009 has completed its speaker roll for this year’s premier high tech seminar for business and legal professionals.  The Cyber Symposium will take place on Friday, September 25, 2009 at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah.  Details regarding the Cyber Symposium can be found at www.utahcyberlaw.org.  A list of the speakers is provided below.   Speaker biographies and registration details can be found on the Utah Cyber Symposium website. 

Speakers:

David Bradford
CEO, Fusion-io
Salt Lake City, Utah

Paul Alan Levy
Public Interest Attorney, Public Citizen National Non-Profit Public Interest Organization
Washington, DC

David Kelly
Partner, Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP
Washington, DC

Brock Blake
CEO, FundingUniverse.com, Inc.
South Jordan, Utah

Charles Mudd
President, Privacy Innovations, Inc.
Chicago, Illinois

Paulo Parente Marques Mendes
Principal, Di Blasi Parente Vaz e Dias & Associados
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Pete Ashdown
CEO, XMission
Salt Lake City, Utah

Doug Bush
Partner, Arent Fox
Washington, DC

Steve Spencer
President & CTO, Twelve Horses North America, LLC
Draper, Utah

Michael J. McCue
Partner, Lewis & Roca
Las Vegas, Nevada

Lee Livingston
CFO, Fibernet Corp.
Orem, Utah

Utah Governor’s Office
A representative of the Utah Governor’s Office will be presenting a brief State of Utah Technology Address.  Confirmation of the actual presenter is dependent on scheduling of the confirmation hearings for Governor Huntsman’s appointment as U.S. Ambassador to China.  Details will be forthcoming. 

        

The 2009 Utah Genius results are in and all of the awardees have been announced.  Results are posted below.  Results are based on patents and trademarks issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office during 2008.  Photographs and information about each of the Utah Genius awardees should be available at www.utahgenius.com later today. 

The awards ceremony was well organized, interestng, and fun, which is a word I heard from a number of attendees. Jack Brittain's keynote speech was engaging, enlightening, and kept the attention of everyone. (It appeared that about 300 people attended the event.).  The food was excellent as one would expect from the Grand America Hotel.

However, what I enjoyed most about the Utah Genius Awards is that it honored the inventors and minds of creativity, who are often overlooked while the business management receives accolades for company success.  The event exuded sincere and heart felt appreciation for the awardees. This was particularly evident when Lane Beattie, President of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce spoke of Dr. Dinesh Patel as he presented Dr. Patel with the Lifetime Achievement Award.  Mr. Beattie was sincerely emotional and Dr. Patel appeared truly touched. Utah Genius was a touching event and a great success.

RESULTS:

Lifetime Acheivement Award:  Dr. Dinesh Patel

Top 20 Utah Patentees of 2008:

Ranking        Name                         # of Patents         Company

    1                David R. Hall                    52                  Novatek International, Inc.
    2                Ronald B. Crockett          21                  Novatek International, Inc.
    3                Jeff Jepson                      19                   Novatek International, Inc.
    4                Scott Dahigren                18                  Novatek International, Inc.
    5                Brent L. Kidman              12                  Cheetah USA Corp.
    6                Gregory J. Boss              11                   IT Architect at IBM
    T-7            Stephen R. Carter             9                   Novell
    T-7            Joe  Fox                             9                   Novatek International, Inc.
    T-7            Tyson J. Wilde                   9                   Novatek International, Inc.
    T-10          David L. DeJong               7                   MeadWestvaco Calmar, Inc. 
    T-10          F. Mark Ferguson              7  
    T-10          Francis Leany                    7                   Novatek International, Inc.
    T-10          Fred P. Smith                    7                   Alpine Engineering & Design, Inc
    T-10          Bradley W. Smith              7                   Autoliv ASP
    15              Bruce Raile                        6                   Sun Optics, Inc.
    T-16          Ashok Challa                      5                   Fairchild Semiconductor
    T-16          Paul T. Clegg                     5                   Vantage Controls
    T-16          William T. Dalebout           5                    Icon IP
    T-16          Bob Frey                             5                   Fairchild Semiconductor
    T-16          Darren Jones                      5                   Alpine Innovations, LLC
    T-16          Michael P. Jordan              5                   Autoliv ASP
    T-16          David O. Meyers                5      
    T-16          Stewart N. Middlemiss      5                   Smith International Inc.
    T-16         Donald D. Solomon            5 
    T-16         Carl R. Standford                5                   Lifetime Products, Inc.
    T-16         David L. Thorne                  5                   Bard Access Systems (Specialized Health Products)

Top 5 Cities By Number Of Patents

Rank          City                             Total # of Patents

    1             Salt Lake City             257
    2             Provo                           110
    3             Sandy                          87
    4             Orem                           59
    T-5         Draper                         40
    T-5         Spanish Fork              40

Top 5 Cities By Patents Per Capita

Rank          City                             Patents Per Capita 

    1             Park City                     1 in 211 residents 
    2             Lindon                         1 in 501 residents
    3             Hyde Park                   1 in 534 residents
    4             Fruit Heights               1 in 566 residents
    5             Alpine                          1 in 599 residents
 
Honorable Mention:  American Fork received honorable mention because it had scored close to the top 5 in both Total Number of Patents and Patents Per Capita categories.

Top 20 Trademark Registrants

Rank         Company                                             # of Trademarks 

    1             Provo Craft and Novelty, Inc.                         29 
    2             Close To My Heart (Cabin Creek, LLC)      20 
    T-3         Talisker Mountain Incorporated                     12
    T-3         American Academy Holdings, LLC              12
    5             Neways, Inc.                                                    11 
    T-6         O.C. Tanner Company                                     9 
    T-6         Mediaport Entertainment, Inc.                         9 
    T-8         CAO Group, Inc.                                               8
    T-8         Intermountain Health Care, Inc.                       8
    T-8         ProPay USA, Inc.                                             8 
    T-8         Vantage Controls, Inc.                                     8 
    T-12       Browning Arms Company                              7
    T-12       Controlled Entry Distributors, Inc.                  7 
    T-14       Jans Ltd.                                                           6 
    T-14       NuSkin (NSE Products, Inc.)                          6 
    T-14       Sinclair Finance Company                             6 
    T-14       Snap Lock Industries, Inc.                               6 
    T-14       The Parvus Corporation                                  6 
    T-14       Trivani International, LLC                                6
    T-14       Utah Central Credit Union                               6
    T-14       Washington City                                               6