Intellectual Property

When does a great idea become a patentable invention? That was a question easier to answer when Thomas Edison came up with the lightbulb and Whitcomb Judson devised the zipper -- Industrial Age innovations that clearly fit with old ideas of what it meant to invent something. But a recent case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit points up the difficulty of making such judgments in the age of the Internet. Bernard Bilski and Rand Warsaw of WeatherWise USA Inc.

Plucking the already tense string that binds new media and old, the Associated Press announced an initiative Monday to protect online versions of its news content from what it called "misappropriation" by a variety of online news outlets. At its annual meeting in San Diego, AP Chairman Dean Singleton said the news syndicate would pursue "legal and legislative remedies" against entities that it believes are unfairly borrowing its content.

There may be no better advertisement for the principle of caveat emptor than EBay. The online auction house enables people to buy items of uncertain provenance from distant strangers, which is a decidedly risky business. Nevertheless, the public accepts it because EBay has developed mechanisms for buyers and sellers to protect themselves against unscrupulous users.

The Barbie vs. Bratz case was back in federal court Monday, and it was clear Barbie-maker Mattel wanted all the dolls in the toy box. Based on a trial victory in July, Mattel Inc. asked the court not only to stop MGA Entertainment Inc. from making the sassy Bratz, but also to require the Van Nuys company to turn over all its dolls, including those already in stores. Mattel, which won the rights to early drawings of the rival doll after weeks of contentious testimony, even wants the Bratz name.

A federal judge delivered a potentially fatal blow to the popular Bratz dolls and their manufacturer, MGA Entertainment Inc., ruling late Wednesday that archrival Mattel Inc. is the legal owner of the edgy toy line and has the right to recall all unsold Bratz. The court order, which represents a major victory for toy giant Mattel, says MGA may no longer manufacture, sell, advertise or license its core lineup of Bratz dolls or any other product with the Bratz name.

Day One: Bratz held hostage. The fate of the hugely popular dolls -- either beloved fashionistas or streetwalkers-in-training, depending on whom you talk to -- was unclear Thursday in the wake of a federal court order that handed the rights to the dolls and the Bratz name to the biggest toy maker of them all: Mattel Inc. Also in limbo was the fate of MGA Entertainment Inc.

WASHINGTON -- In the battle against pirated American movies, music and other intellectual property in China, the Bush administration has tried the carrot. Now it's turning to the stick. That was the sign the U.S. sent Monday as it decided to launch formal complaints against Beijing with the World Trade Organization. Although the move risks escalating already tense trade relations, U.S.

If he could go back to the future, maybe famed movie car icon George Barris wouldn't have had that gadget-filled DeLorean parked in front of his North Hollywood customizing shop during his big ceremony. The "Back to the Future" DeLorean sat near the Batmobile, the Monkeemobile, the General Lee from the "Dukes of Hazzard" TV show, K.I.T.T.

JAE Nah was wandering through some of the nation's largest retailers when he noticed some of his company's fabric patterns on the clothing racks. It was curious, said Nah, founder of Los Angeles-based fabric maker L.A. Printex Industries Inc. He didn't do business with the suppliers of those stores. Someone had ripped off his work. Experts say counterfeited goods cost U.S. companies about $200 billion annually -- roughly four times what they did a decade ago.

Software company SAP, responding to a lawsuit filed by Oracle Corp., acknowledged Tuesday that one of its units made "inappropriate downloads" of its rival's computer code for fixes and support documents. SAP said it never had access to Oracle's intellectual property, even as SAP Chief Executive Henning Kagermann vowed to keep "all options open" to settle the case. The legal battle underscores an increasingly cutthroat battle between the two competitors. Redwood Shores, Calif.