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GEN-ERIC Patent News
Tuesday, December 7, 2004

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HEADLINES (patents issued a few hours ago..)
The Interactive Dilemma Patent of the Day goes to
Microsoft of Redmond for a
Social dilemma software for evaluating online interactive societies

The Disappearing Money Patent of the Day goes to
Brink's France of Paris for a
Treatment process which makes possible the chemical destruction of securities or paper documents
    Index
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NEWS
Bankrupt Commerce One patents fetch $15.5M
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2004/12/06/bankrupt_commerce_one_patents_fetch_155m/
Bankrupt Internet software maker Commerce One Inc. auctioned off dozens of prized online patents for $15.5 million in a sale that could provoke a legal scuffle over whether the new owner is entitled to collect royalties from a long list of technology heavyweights. A secretive company called JGR Acquisition Inc. wrested the patents from two other bidders with ties to former Microsoft Corp. chief technology officer Nathan Mhyrvold, who is now running a startup that hopes to accumulate a treasure chest of valuable patents. JRG attorney Mark Mullion of the Dallas law firm Haynes and Boone declined to discuss the company or its plans for the patents sold in a liquidation of Commerce One, a former dot-com darling that collapsed into bankruptcy two months ago. The bidding war highlights the rising value of intellectual property rights as the world becomes more dependent on computers. The wrangling involved obscure patents covering a wide range of administrative tasks conducted online throughout corporate America. Commerce One, now based in Santa Clara, patented a series of techniques that are widely used by big and small companies to pay bills and buy supplies online. Hoping to build a bustling marketplace for its own software products, Commerce One allowed companies to use the patents without paying royalties. Although the strategy didn't pay off, many companies took advantage of the royalty waiver to shift more of their operations online.
    Index
Energizer Wins Gillette Patent Lawsuit
http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2004/12/02/ap1688301.html
Battery and razor maker Energizer Holdings Inc. on Thursday said it won a patent infringement case filed by competitor Gillette Co. in a German court. The court ruled that the four-bladed Quattro razor made by Energizer's German business Wilkinson Sword GmBH does not infringe Gillette's European patent regarding three-bladed progressive exposure. The court also ordered Boston-based Gillette to reimburse Energizer's court costs. The company said the decision follows a similar ruling earlier this year by a judge in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts that denied Gillette's request for a preliminary injunction in the United States. "Gillette has been very aggressive at attempting to impede the launch and sale of Quattro around the globe," Schick-Wilkinson Sword president Joe Lynch said in a statement.
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Synopsys Acquires Nassda for $192M
http://www.reed-electronics.com/electronicnews/article/CA484453.html?industryid=21370
Nassda Corp. is following the old saying, "if you can't beat them join them," in regard to its patent suit with Synopsys Inc. Synopsys today announced it has signed agreements to acquire Nassda in an all-cash transaction at $7 per share and, subject to the closing of the acquisition, to settle all outstanding litigation by Synopsys against Nassda and certain Nassda officers, directors and employees. Litigation had begun in June and a January trial was recently postponed because of further disputes. In the end, Synopsys will face an aggregate purchase price of about $192 million, or approximately $92 million net of Nassda's estimated cash at closing. In addition, upon closing, the Nassda officers, directors and employees who are defendants in the litigation between Synopsys and Nassda will make $61.6 million in settlement payments to Synopsys, the EDA kingpin said. "We believe value we are getting is very significant in regards to amount we are spending," said Rex Jackson, Synopsys VP and general counsel. "First and foremost this is a product that was at its origination derived from our products, but not a direct copy of them. It's complimentary to products we already have."
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PATENTS OF THE DAY

6,829,569

Social dilemma software for evaluating online interactive societies

Abstract: Social dilemma virtual world environment (VWE) software facilitates creation and usage of social dilemma tests or exercises for measuring and analyzing online interactive societies. An online interactive society arises whenever two or more people interact through a computer-based communication medium, which may include text or written communication, audio communication, still or motion video communication, or any combination of these communication formats. The social dilemma VWE software and the methodology of the present invention are capable of distinguishing the levels of cooperation and trust that are created by various interface and social factors within online interactive societies. Evaluating with social dilemma VWE software the effects of such social and interface factors on the degree of online cooperation allows such factors to be incorporated into the design and functionality of online interactive societies.

Index

6,827,967

Treatment process which makes possible the chemical destruction of securities or paper documents

Abstract: The present invention relates to a chemical treatment process which makes it possible to modify the chemical structure of securities, bank notes or paper documents during their transportation or their storage, either in a vehicle or by a man on foot, thus making it impossible for criminals to be able to reuse them.