Tag Archives: MasterCard

Patents for Financial Services Summit to examine IP system health

May 7, 2018 by Bruce Berman 0 Comments

The 15th Annual Patents for Financial Services Summit will gather patent and IP counsel, as well as senior financial executives, to discuss recent trends in financial patent litigation, value, and patentability.

The Summit will be held July 25-26 at the Sheraton Times Square in New York. Presentations include updates on CBMs, IPRs, Oil States vs. Greene, FinTech patents, and strategies to navigate the current IP landscape.

This year’s keynote is Hon. Susan Braden, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Federal Claims. The United States Court of Federal Claims is a United States federal court that hears monetary claims against the U.S. government. It rules on patent and copyright claims against the government, among other areas.

IP CloseUp readers receive a $200 discount when they use registration code IPC2XX.

Financial and Tech Leaders

Heads of IP, patents or senior IP executives from leading financial institutions and technology companies will be speaking. They include MasterCard, Citigroup, The Hartford, Wells Fargo and JP Morgan Chase. Additionally, the Clearing House Payments Corporation (a consortium of leading banks) will be represented, as will IBM, by Chief Patent Counsel, Manny Schecter.

American Express, Royal Bank of Canada, Visa and Microsoft also will have representatives serving as panelists. Joe Matal, former Acting Director of the USPTO and 2017 PFFS Summit keynote, is a member of the “101: panel.”

Panels titles include:

  • Assess the Health of the U.S. Patent System and Discuss the Erosion of Patent Rights
  • Embrace Change at the PTAB
  • Bitcoin, Alt Coin, and Tokens: A Primer on How Intellectual Property Laws Relate

SPOTLIGHT SESSION:
Pursue §101 Eligibility Reforms

  • IP Considerations for the Digital Transformation of the Financial Services Industry
  • Identify Opportunities for Partnering with FinTech Companies
  • Predict the Future of Cryptocurrencies
  • Explore the Patent Issues Confronting Artificial Intelligence

For the complete program, go here. To register, go here. 

Image source: PatentVue.com

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59% of blockchain patents are owned by developers; BofA and IBM dominate financial and tech players

April 24, 2018 by Bruce Berman 2 Comments

More than half of U.S. blockchain patents are owned by blockchain-specific developers, while 20% are owned by financial institutions, led by Bank of America (see pie chart below).

Number three, Fidelity, has about a third as many patents as BofA. Number two, MasterCard, some 50% fewer.

13% are owned by traditional technology businesses, led by IBM, which owns more than three times the next biggest tech holder, Dell.

This is according to the findings of a report prepared by Envision IP, an IP law firm specializing in patent research, as reported in the April Managing Intellectual Property.

According to another report, China claims to have more than twice as many companies than the U.S. in the blockchain top 100 patentees.

Outside of IBM, which supports many banks, leading technology companies like Google, Intel and Microsoft have been slow to pursue blockchain patents. MasterCard, which has 27 blockchain patents, the same number as IBM, is dubious about the reliability of crypto-currencies, such as bitcoin. This 2014 video explains some of the credit card business’ reservations. The firm’s thinking may have evolved.

MasterCard processes over $4 Trillion ($4,000,000,000,000) in more than 38 billion transactions each year, reports The Art of Not Being Governed, a bitcoin blog.  On each of those 38 billion transactions, MasterCard assesses fees to the merchant, accepting the payment. These range from .11% to .80% of the total, plus various fixed amount fees for each transaction. All told, it averages out to about 2% of every transaction.

“Bitcoin, on the other hand, charges little to no fees, and as such, poses a direct threat to MasterCard’s business,” says the blog, which reports that in 2014 someone moved $80 million on the Bitcoin network for a fee of $.04 (4 cents).

For the full Envision IP report, go here.

Image source: Managing Intellectual Property; Envision IP

 

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Blockchain patent applications doubled in 2017 to more than 1,200

March 27, 2018 by Bruce Berman 0 Comments

 1,240 blockchain patent applications were filed worldwide in 2017, up from 594 in 2016 and 258 in 2015. 

Among the leading filers were Bank of America, MasterCard, Goldman Sachs, Walmart, JP Morgan, and IBM.
According to data collected by the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and reported in CryptoCurrency, more than 1240 applications for blockchain-related patents were filed across South Korea, the United States, Japan, China, and Europe by the end of January 2018.

In December of 2017, CNBC reported that ‘patent trolls’ were coming for blockchain individuals and entire firms who seek to make fortunes off of amassing blockchain patents.

“Crush it”

“Nick (sic) Spangenberg, a notable patent entrepreneur,” reported the publication, said that his firm IPwe “is also looking to make big money by reforming the whole patent world.”

“It is a curious path how a collection of misfit trolls, geeks and wonks ended up here—but we are going to crush it and make a fortune,” said Spangenburg.

Image source: codeburst.io

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IPCU readers get $200 off 10th IP Corporate Counsel Forum in NY

January 5, 2018 by Bruce Berman 0 Comments

The 10th annual Corporate IP Counsel Forum will take place this year March 14-15 at the Sheraton Times Square in New York.

The keynote address will be delivered by Hon. Paul R. Michel, Chief Judge for the United States the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 2005-2010, ret; Circuit Judge, 1988-2010. Judge Michel is known as a strong advocate of improving the patent system and patent quality.

Judge Michel will address the controversies and issues surrounding the patent system, especially how to address patent enforcement quality in an era of greater IP uncertainty. The title of his talk is “Explore the Future of the AIA.”

Among other issues, Judge Michel will consider:

  • What must be learned from the past to make necessary adjustments in order to spur adequate private investment in R&D and commercialization, and to create new jobs and prosperity.

Leading IP Holders

Other Corporate IP Counsel Forum presenters and attendees include senior IP executives from JP Morgan Chase, General Electric Corporation, NCR Corporation, Royal Philips, Coty, Inc., Intel and Mastercard Woldwide, the Clearing House Payments Company (a global association of leading banks) and Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation – WARF.

IP CloseUp readers who register by February receive a $200 discount on the conference fee. Use conference code IPC2XX.

For the program and full speaker list, go here. 

To register, go here. 

Image source: worldcongress.com

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Bank of America is granted (another) blockchain-type patent

December 12, 2017 by Bruce Berman 1 Comment

Bank of America was granted last week a patent on a “cryptocurrency transformation system” that comprises a platform to manage exchange rates between various currencies, transfer requests, and customer accounts.

The timing could not be better. The price of a bitcoin as of December 12 is $17,756.96, up from $1,000 on January, and the premium on cryptocurrency and blockchain patents is sure to rise, too.

“Enterprises may handle a large number of financial transactions on a daily basis,” reported ETHnews, citing the bank’s patent. “As technology advances, financial transactions involving cryptocurrency have become more common. For some enterprises, it may be desirable to exchange currencies and cryptocurrencies.”

Blockchain-type Patents 

It is interesting to note that inventors from four different states are shown on the patent –  Georgia, Colorado, Florida and North Carolina, BofA’s home state. This may give some indication of the seriousness which it is taking the patent.

Top Assignees

According to an article in IP Watchdog, the four top assignees in the blockchain/cryptocurrency area are Bank of America, Mastercard, Paypal and CapitalOne, all financial entities. They followed by technology-based businesses IBM, Microsoft, Amazon and Apple.

Both groups appear to be pursuing leverage.

It is estimated that the Bank of America has filed more than 20 blockchain patents over the past four or five years. Its interest is unclear, but it may well simply want to prevent patent disputes by holding key patents.

For a copy of the new patent, issued on December 5, go here.

 

Image source: uponarriving.com; ipwatchdog.com

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Bitcoin prices dive: 58 bitcoin facts that will amuse and enlighten

September 19, 2017 by Bruce Berman 1 Comment

It has been a decade since the appearance of bitcoin, the alternative or cryptocurrency based on a blockchain, a “decentralized” network or shared ledger that facilitates transparency. 

The currency’s pricing gyrations have been nothing short of a roller coaster ride, with bitcoins trading in 2017 as low as $750 and as high as $5,000.

Bitcoin is down from its September 2 high of $5,000 “on speculation,” reports Coindesk, “that the Chinese government is launching a crackdown on [bitcoin] exchanges.” Some others are blaming JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s scathing attack on bitcoin for the meltdown in the prices seen on September 13.

Business Insider says that as of last September 7 bitcoin is up 355% for 2017 (for the current price, go here).  More recently, it has hit a three-week low, and some believe it appears to be hurtling toward correction at around $3,000.

Hyped & Misunderstood

“No term at present is more hyped or misunderstood than blockchain,” reports FORTUNE. “A blockchain is a kind of ledger, a table that businesses use to track credits and debits… [It is] a definitive record of who owns what, when.“tp

“Properly applied, a blockchain can help assure data integrity, maintain auditable records, and even, in its latest iterations, render financial contracts into programmable software… Even if participants don’t trust one another, they can rely on the shared ledger through the transaction dance of their software.”

Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and MasterCard are among the most frequent recipients of blockchain patents. As reported in IP CloseUp, patent publications and grants are on the rise.

But despite price volatility, or perhaps because of it, bitcoin continues to attract converts. Among those who accept transactions with them are Microsoft, PayPal, Fortune magazine, Intuit, Amazon, Home Depot, Target and more than 100 companies.

Bitcoin is not blockchain, but the currency made possible by a blockchain platform or “shared ledger“ that underlies it. This is said to allow for transparency without any one party controlling clearing or profiting unfairly.

Bitcoin = Blockchain 1.0

Bitcoin is one manifestation of the blockchain ecosystem. It is an example of what a blockchain can do, but it is just the beginning. Blockchain 1.0, if you will. Industries as diverse as energy, healthcare and law are already using variations on blockchain technology.

The attraction of bitcoin is many-fold. Most important, it is highly private if not totally anonymous and eliminates the cost of middle-man and confusion from lack of transparency. 16.4 million bitcoins have been minted; after 21 million no new coins will be created. Once all coins have been mined value from the system, it has been said, will be derived from transaction fees (kind of like shares of stock).

For a bitcoin primer go here.

For those of you interested in the history of the bitcoin and early blockchain era, the following infographic – “10 Years of the World with Bitcoin – 58 Insane Facts” – from BitcoinPlay will enlighten as well as amuse. Source urls can be found at the bottom of the image.

 

Image source: bitcoinplay.net; bitcoin.com

 

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Financial patent eligibility and quality will be featured at Financial Services IP Summit, 7/22-23 in NYC

June 22, 2015 by Bruce Berman 0 Comments

Legal executives from the leading banks and financial institutions, patent attorneys, outside counsel, prosecutors, judges and lawmakers will gather in New York July 22-23 to learn and discuss strategies after Supreme Court rulings on patent eligibility and decisions from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

The 12th Annual “Patents for Financial Services Summit” will examine such topics as:

  • The Supreme Court’s Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International in light of future prosecution and litigation Patent reform, legislation, and recent changes in PTAB proceedings.
  • Best practices to fight patent “trolls”
  • Recent court cases such as Ultramercial V. Hulu, Teva v. Sandoz, Commil USA LLC v. Cisco Systems Inc.
  • How best to improve patent quality and drive innovation

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Speakers include executives from JP Morgan Chase, MasterCard, Visa, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, The Clearing House Payments Company, SAP and Google.

Brody Berman Associates is a first-time partner and supporting organization of the Patents for Financial Services Summit, and IP CloseUp is a media partner. Your intrepid eye on IP, Bruce Berman, will be there, so stop by and say hello.

For the full program, including agenda and speakers, go here; to register go here.

-IP CloseUp readers receive $200 of of the registration fee if they mention promo code: IPC2XX.

Image source: worldcongress.com

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