Posted by Horacio GutierrezCorporate Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Microsoft
Earlier this week, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office released information on its Proposed Patent Fee Schedule. In announcing the Proposed Fee Schedule, Director David Kappos noted that the key principles of the proposed fee schedule are to ensure a more sustainable funding model for the USPTO, and to reduce the backlog of unexamined patent applications and decrease patent application pendency. The USPTO is holding public hearings later this month and inviting feedback and public input on the proposed fee schedule to guide it in making adjustments. A final proposed fee schedule is anticipated in June 2012, which will open a 60-day public comment period to submit written input directly to the Office.
Microsoft strongly supports the ongoing efforts of the USPTO to improve patent examination quality, and enhance the efficiency and operations of the Office.
[Read more...]
Posted by Dave HeinerVice President & Deputy General Counsel, Corporate Standards Group & Antitrust Group, Microsoft
Earlier today, Microsoft posted a statement concerning our commitment to industry standards. The statement sets forth Microsoft’s long-standing approach to patents that are essential to industry standards: we license them to other firms. We don’t seek to block other firms from shipping products on the basis of these patents. Our approach is shared by Apple, Cisco and many others in the industry.
Why are “standards essential patents” so important to the industry and to consumers?
You may not realize it, but anytime you use the Internet, your cell phone or a computer, you are benefitting from international technical standards. Watching a video? You’re probably using a standard called H.264. Connected to a wireless network? You’re using another standard called 802.11. These and other standards enable a wide variety of devices and websites to work well with one another. In fact, the whole Internet is built on standards like these.
Editor’s Note: This post by Brad Smith, Executive Vice President, Legal and Corporate Affairs, Microsoft, originally appeared on The Huffington Post.
If you had visited one of Microsoft’s locations in the United States during October you might have found an employee’s office filled with pink flamingos. For a small sum donated to a nonprofit of their choice — and matched by Microsoft — an employee can have their co-worker’s office “flocked” with plastic pink flamingos. It’s one of hundreds of creative fundraising activities that make up our employee giving campaign at Microsoft. The 2011 campaign was our largest year of employee giving since the program began in 1983, with $100.5 million donated and matched for community organizations and nonprofits.
It should be no surprise that a company founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen has a deep culture of employee giving. Even so, we continue to be thrilled by the new records being set by Microsoft employees in giving their time, energy and resources; it never ceases to amaze me. The $100.5 million donated by Microsoft employees in the United States with corporate matching is an increase over the $96 million raised in 2010. Since 1983, our employees have now donated more than $946 million to community organizations around the globe.
Posted by Jacqueline BeauchereDirector, Trustworthy Computing Communications, Microsoft
Each February, the world recognizes Safer Internet Day (SID), an event dedicated to promoting responsible use of the Internet and mobile technology, particularly among youth. Organized by Brussels-based Insafe and co-founded by the European Union, Feb. 7 marks the ninth installment of SID. This year’s theme, "Connecting Generations and Educating Each Other,” once again finds Microsoft playing an active role.
The company was part of the first SID, and has been a long-standing advocate ever since, particularly in Europe. Last year, the Trustworthy Computing (TwC) Group expanded Microsoft's involvement in North America by hosting three online gaming-related events in as many U.S. cities, keeping with SID's 2011 theme. This year, we're building on that success, and partnering with AARP.
Microsoft and AARP today released results of their first-ever "Connecting Generations" research study focused on technology and Internet use among teens (13-17), young adults (18-25), parents (39-58) and older adults (59-75).
Posted by Jeff MeisnerEditor, Microsoft on the Issues
This morning, Brad Smith, Executive Vice President of Legal & Corporate Affairs at Microsoft, joined NASA Administrator Charles Bolden (pictured here) and other Seattle-area business leaders in a forum organized by the Business Higher Education Forum (BHEF).
They participated in a panel to examine some of the ways in which the public and private sectors can collaborate across all levels of education to align curricula with high demand jobs, particularly those in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.