Welcome to this edition of MaxVal’s IP Five in 5 – where we cover the top five IP news stories in 5 minutes or less. This week’s edition includes Nokia’s patent infringement claims against Reddit, a US court’s ruling favoring PlayStation, Maxeon Solar’s patent lawsuit against Canadian Solar, and more.
Patent Spotlight
Reddit Gets Hit with a Patent Complaint from Nokia
Reddit faces patent infringement claims from Nokia ahead of its IPO, with the latter seeking compensation. Reddit is targeting a $6.5 billion valuation for its IPO.
Source: Deccan Herald
Judge Sides with PlayStation and Dismisses $500 Million Patent Case
US courts rule in favor of Sony, dismissing claims of patent infringement by Genuine Enabling Technology (GET) regarding PlayStation consoles. GET sought $500 million in damages alleging violation of its ‘730 Patent; Sony refuted, citing lack of evidence on structural equivalence.
Source: Game Industry
Maxeon Solar Sues Canadian Solar for Patent Infringement
Maxeon Solar initiated a patent infringement suit against Canadian Solar in Texas, alleging infringement of TOPCon solar cell patents. Canadian Solar has yet to respond. Maxeon filed a similar suit against Aiko Energy in Dutch court last year.
Source: Reuters
Trademark Spotlight
Japanese Firm Wins Trademark Battle in Chinese Court
A Japanese company’s legal victory against a Chinese “trademark broker” signals hope for foreign businesses combating trademark trolling. MTG’s ReFa brand, generating 70% of its sales, faced trademark disputes in China, illustrating challenges for companies entering the market.
Source: Nikkei Inc.
Copyright Spotlight
French Regulator Fines Google $271 Million over AI Copyright
France fined Google and its parent company Alphabet €250 million ($271 million) for violating a previous agreement on using copyrighted content to train its Bard AI, now Gemini. This breach stemmed from Google’s failure to comply with a June 2022 settlement concerning news story usage in its search and discover pages.
Source: CIO
