The decline of Nortel, which began with the bursting of the global technology bubble in 2000, coincides with a worrying widening of the productivity gap between Canada and the United States, a dangerous drop in business spending on research and development here, and the country's increasing dependence on natural resources to fuel economic growth.

Click on the link above to check out IP Think Tank’s weekly selection of top Pharma & Biotech intellectual property news breaking in the blogosphere and internet.

The American Conference Institute’s Maximizing Pharmaceutical Patent Lifecycles, the 10th Anniversary Edition will be held at the Helmsley Park Lane Hotel, New York, New York, on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 to Thursday, October 8, 2009. Click the link above for a special referral deal from Patent Baristas.

News of Monday's record-setting $1.67 billion patent verdict against Abbott Labs had patent lawyers slack-jawed across the country.

Click on the link above to see this week's selection of top intellectual property news breaking in the blogosphere and on the internet.

Thomas Friedman in an Op-Ed in the New York Times writes, "We might be able to stimulate our way back to stability, but we can only invent our way back to prosperity. We need everyone at every level to get smarter. I still believe that America, with its unrivaled freedoms, venture capital industry, research universities and openness to new immigrants has the best assets to be taking advantage of this moment — to out-innovate our competition. But we should be pressing these advantages to the max right now."

With the current economic climate and the increasing importance of technology to a company’s value, it is more important than ever to protect business innovations. Fully understanding the scope, limitations, and risks of trade secrets and patents, as well as the costs of securing and maintaining these protections, can assist businesses and inventors in making the right choice.

Click on the link above to see this week's selection of top intellectual property news breaking in the blogosphere and on the internet.

Today, on Father's Day, we'd like to share an emotional tribute to an incredible and inspirational dad, from his equally incredible and inspirational son. Click on the link above to read their story and watch an amazing video.

David J. Kappos, Nominee for Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office: Mr. Kappos is Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, Intellectual Property Law, for IBM Corporation. Based in Armonk, New York, Mr. Kappos directs IBM’s Intellectual Property Law function, providing legal counsel over all facets of protecting and licensing IBM’s intellectual property assets and leading IBM’s engagement of intellectual property law policy issues.

When Guy Kawasaki talks about business innovation, as he did recently at a University of Pennsylvania technology conference, he brings more than 25 years of major-league experience to the conversation...

The magistrate judge overseeing a patent infringement case between Motorola Inc. and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. has put Motorola's claims on hold so the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office can examine the dispute.Motorola and RIM sued each other for patent infringement in February 2008 after failing to renegotiate a cross-licensing agreement on certain types of cellular telephone technology. RIM is claiming that Motorola infringed nine patents, while Motorola says its rival infringed 14 patents.

The authors of Business Success Through Innovation have released the top-ten patent rankings by state, technology category, and company.

Click on the link above to see this week's selection of top intellectual property news breaking in the blogosphere and on the internet.

Next week, hundreds of patent practitioners, analysts and executives - including Chief IP Officers from Fortune 500 companies, heads of IP at other major companies, global IP thought leaders and senior policy makers - are gathering in Chicago for two days of top-level discussion at the "IP Business Congress 2009." Click on the link to Peter Zura's 271 Patent Blog above to see the big names who will be there.

The USPTO is pleased to announce the beta test release of its new Web site. The new site has been redesigned to improve the look and feel, as well as to enhance the user experience with improved navigation. The USPTO's goal is to make the Web site technologically up-to-date, user-friendly, and responsive to customer feedback.

Duncan Bucknell is looking forward to rounding off IPBC 2009 at the 'meet the bloggers' gathering at 5pm on 23 June at the famous Billy Goat Tavern in downtown Chicago.

Click on the link above to check out IP Think Tank’s weekly selection of top Pharma & Biotech intellectual property news breaking in the blogosphere and internet.

This morning in Luxembourg, five crimson-robed and white-scarved judges of the European Union's highest court will issue a ruling on this most gnawing question: Can you trademark a chocolate bunny? Read the preliminary opinion of the court's advocate-general made earlier this year in the case of Lindt v Hauswirth.

Turns out, back in 2007, Google put in a patent application for an wave-powered server farm.

Click on the link above to see this week's selection of top intellectual property news breaking in the blogosphere and on the internet.

Dave Donoghue of the Chicago IP Litigation Blog is hosting Meet the Bloggers VI @IPBC2009. The IPBC is at the beautiful Four Seasons Chicago, but in order to make sure that attendees get a well-rounded taste of Chicago, Meet the Bloggers VI will be held at the world famous Billy Goat Tavern.

"If you think that you have a new idea, you are wrong. Someone probably already had it. This idea isn’t original either; I stole it from someone else."

Four trends are shaping innovation: falling silos, outside-in thinking, social media, and war games. Click on the link above to read the article in BusinessWeek.

Click on the link above to check out IP Think Tank’s weekly selection of top Pharma & Biotech intellectual property news breaking in the blogosphere and internet.