US Litigation Search, How to easily find US patents for which lawsuits have been filed

 

 As domestic companies actively advance into the highly competitive global market, they are increasingly becoming embroiled in international patent disputes with foreign companies. In particular, patent disputes are intensifying in the US market, where companies around the world are competing. The United States is the most central country for patents, and it is no exaggeration to say that all lawsuits around the world are centered around the United States. The United States realized the importance of taking the lead in patented technology in market competition, the government has secured patent rights for key original technologies from an early stage and systematically prepared aggressive strategies using them, and has a perfect patent attack system at the individual company level.

 Patents in the process of patent infringement or invalidation lawsuits, which are increasing in the U.S. market, are often important patents, and the outcome of these lawsuits will have a significant impact on the rights of the patents and the businesses of related companies. In addition, not only parties involved in patent litigation but also companies in related industries cannot help but be sensitive to this information.

 WIPS Global provides a US litigation search that allows to search for patent lawsuits and patents in which lawsuits have been filed in the United States. You can find detailed information on related patents along with U.S. patent litigation information. Let's take a look now.

wipsglobal.com> US Litigation Search

 You can use the search field to search for patent litigation cases that occurred in U.S. courts. And also, search by selecting the jurisdiction or integrated search is possible.

*Jurisdiction: Federal District, ITC (International Trade Commission), CAFC (Court of Appeal for Federal Circuit), Supreme Court

wipsglobal.com> US Litigation Search

 

When you run a search, a list of litigation cases that match your search query will be provided as a result. Click on the case number or title to check the details of the lawsuit.

Search result filter: You can check litigation information corresponding to the selected item by using statistical information on major items – court of jurisdiction, plaintiff, defendant, applicant representative name, registration number, IPC, etc.

Grouping of Litigation unit: By grouping cases related to the original case, cases that occurred in each jurisdiction can be collected and reviewed as a single case unit.

wipsglobal.com> US Litigation Search

 

 You can view search results based on patents that meet the search conditions, and check detailed dispute information for each patent.

wipsglobal.com> US Litigation Search

 You can check detailed information on cases from the U.S. Federal District Court, PTAB, ITC, CAFC, and the Supreme Court. WIPS Global provides overall content of the lawsuit, including the trial of the case, names of plaintiff/defendent, case history etc.

wipsglobal.com> US Litigation Search

 It provides a list of case progress in the original text of the case and summary information of each document.

wipsglobal.com> US Litigation Search

 If there is an original trial and an appeal for the case, you can see a chart showing the flow of the case, and a list of cases in other jurisdictions related to the patent in question.

You can also view a list of patents related to the lawsuit, which are extracted from the patent documents listed in the complaint.

wipsglobal.com> View Details

 Litigation information is also checked through the ‘Litigation’ tab in the ‘View Details’ connected to Field Search, Number Search, Step Search and Drawing Search.

 So far, we have looked at WIPS Global’s U.S. Litigation Search.

With the WIPS Global’s ‘U.S. Litigation Search using various detailed information, get more accurate information and progress details of the patent disputes.

Webtoon’s patented technology, meet the colorful world of cartoons

 

 Various patented technologies are being applied to webtoons, which have become part of popular culture. In this issue, we will look at patents related to webtoons that have become more sensuous and convenient through new technologies.

AI’s song selection that make webtoons more enjoyable.

 The first technology is a patent of Naver Webtoon in Korea. Naver Webtoon has filed and been granted a patent last year that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to play appropriate background music (BGM) for webtoons. This is an artificial intelligence technology that plays music that matches the cartoon you’re currently watching considering the webtoons’ attribute information and readers’ feedback. It automatically selects the BGM according to the author's intention and the user's needs.

clipartkorea.co.kr

 Looking at the patent for this technology, the process of artificial intelligence playing background music includes the following three steps:

1. Step of registering property information about the webtoon in connection with at least one of the entire contents, a specific page, a specific scene, and a specific object.

2. Step of searching audio content using attribute information of the cartoon

3. Step of providing audio content in conjunction with cartoon

wipsglobal.com
KR10-2478394, Method, system and recording medium for providing sound of internet cartoon content

 If you enjoy music that fits the user's tastes along with webtoon images, empathy and enjoyment of the content will likely increase significantly. In this technology, when AI selects customized music, it takes into account not only the user's personality but also environmental information such as time, season, weather, and location. The goal is to provide optimal BGM that reflects the content and situation of the reader without being uniform or typical.

More precise coloring with artificial neural networks

 The second, also patented by Naver Webtoon, is a technology for correcting colored images using artificial neural networks. With the advancement of artificial intelligence technology, an image coloring model that automatically colorizes black-and-white photos into colorful photos has already been developed. However, the method of coloring images using artificial neural networks worked similarly to the paint tool, and had the problem of color bleeding occurring when the boundaries of the image were unclear.

Naver AI Painter for coloring characters

<source: Naver webtoon, AI Painter homepage, https://ai.webtoons.com/ko/painter/howto >

The patent uses the following three processes to create sophisticated coloring without blurring through an artificial neural network.

1. Step of acquiring a colored image by inputting the sketch image into the first artificial neural network

2. Receiving user input data about the targeted area in the colored image

3. Inputting the sketch image and user input data into a second artificial neural network to obtain a corrected image with the coloring state of the targeted area changed.

wipsglobal.com
KR10-2022-0152864, Method and apparatus for correcting a colored image using an artificial neural network

 This technology generates virtual user input data to train an automatic colorization model that mitigates color bleeding. Additionally, among multiple colored images, it detects the boundary of the image with color bleeding and the boundary of the image without color bleeding. Then, virtual user input data is created by comparing the boundaries between the smudged and non-smudged boundaries, and this is used as learning data. Here, color bleeding is evaluated more objectively by learning to minimize the difference in border information between the two images.

Change your sentences (texts) into webtoons (image).

 The last technology is the invention of Toon Square, a company that studies the relationship between AI and contents. This technology, called Tooning, is an AI webtoon service that turns written sentences into comics. It automatically creates characters and backgrounds that fit the story expressed in the sentence into a webtoon.

Toon Square's 'Tooning'
<source: AVING, Global news network, CHOI, Yewon>

 This technology, currently under patent examination, automatically creates a webtoon including the following steps.

1.    Recognizing a sentence and identifying at least one word included in the recognized sentence 

2.     Identifying the type of punctuation mark located at least one of the start and end points of the recognized sentence.

3.     A step of determining whether the sentence is one of a general sentence, a dialogue sentence, and an emotional sentence based on the type of identified punctuation mark. 

4.    If the sentence is a general sentence, a step of automatically generating a cartoon image based on the words included in the general sentence. 

5.   If the sentence is a dialogue sentence or an emotion sentence, the step of identifying the subject of the dialogue sentence or emotion sentence

6.     Step of inserting dialogue or emotional sentences into the character in the form of a speech bubble.

wipsglobal.com
KR10-2023-0018027, Apparatus and method for automatically generating cartoon images based on inputted sentences

 As this technology automatically creates cartoon images according to the sentences entered by the user, it has the effect of allowing even people without drawing skills to easily obtain the cartoon image they desire. In addition, this invention has the effect of making the movement of the character's joints or connection parts natural by creating a bridge in the blank area at the joint or connection part of the character.

 So far, we have looked into patented technologies for webtoons. Webtoons continue to advance with music that matches the story, 2D images becoming 3D, and pictures moving like videos. We are entering an era where non-experts can easily create webtoons as they wish, as not only the expression method but also the production method has evolved. I look forward to more sophisticated and enriched webtoon content to come in the future.

‘Mickey Mouse’, whose 95-year copyright has expired, can anyone use it freely?

 

 Have you heard that Disney's Mickey Mouse, a character loved by people all over the world, can be used for free from this year? In the United States, January 1st every year is Public Domain Day*, when content that was protected by copyright is converted into the public domain. The copyright on Mickey Mouse, which has been protected as Disney's representative mascot for the past 95 years, expires in 2023, making it a public property that everyone can use commercially.

 *Public Domain Day: Public Domain refers to a state in which copyright or other property rights have been given up by the owner or donated to the public, allowing anyone to use them freely. The United States has designated January 1st of each year as Public Property Day, when copyright expires and becomes public domain.

How long is copyright protected?

 Let’s first learn about copyright and copyright protection period. Copyright is the exclusive right that an author has to their own work, and it arises at the time of creation. Not only famous people's artwork and corporate characters, but even drawings made by children at home are copyrighted as soon as they are created.

clipartkorea.co.kr

 In South Korea, an individual's copyright can be protected for the life of the author and up to 70 years after death. Additionally, anonymous or pseudonymous (unknown) works last for 70 years from the time of publication. However, in the case of anonymous and pseudonymous works, copyright is deemed to have expired when 70 years have passed since the author's death.

 Copyright for business-related works is also recognized for 70 years from the time of publication. If the work has not been published within 50 years from the time of completion of creation, a protection period of 70 years from the time of creation is recognized.

Copyright protection period in the United States

 In the United States, individual copyrights are said to be valid for the life of the author and up to 70 years after death. However, if it is an anonymous, pseudonymous, or corporate work, the copyright lasts longer than in Korea. Copyright is said to be protected for 95 years from the first publication or 120 years from the year of creation, whichever comes first. Disney's Mickey Mouse made his name known when he first appeared in the 1928 animated film Steamboat Willie. 95 years have passed and it has become a creation that anyone can use starting January 1, 2024.

Are all Mickey Mouse characters public property?

 The answer is ‘No’. A notable characteristic of Mickey Mouse in 1928, when he debuted as Steamboat Willie, is that he does not wear white gloves. The eyes are black and the body size is small, making it quite different from the current Mickey Mouse. The Mickey Mouse that has become a public work this time is the Mickey Mouse of the past, first revealed to the public in 1928.

Mickey Mouse debuted as 'Steamboat Willie' in 1928
<source: Wikipedia>

 Since then, Mickey Mouse's form has changed little by little based on his past appearances. Through the changes, the current Mickey was born, wearing white gloves and having a stockier body than before and white eyes. New Mickey Mouse characters introduced after 1928 are still protected by copyright.

Mickey Mouse character evolution <source: News one>

Then can we freely use the 1928 version of Mickey Mouse?

 There is a meme that satirizes Disney’s strong copyright protection: ‘‘If you are unfortunate enough to be stranded on a desert island, don’t write SOS Survival, Draw a big Mickey Mouse on the ground’’, meaning that Disney’s legal counsel will come faster. In fact, there is a case where, under pressure from Walt Disney, the U.S. Congress extended the copyright term from 50 to 70 years after the author's death. Since the public knows that Disney is putting all its effort into protecting its copyrights, questions are raised as to whether they can really freely use the 1928 version of Mickey Mouse.

Expired copyright

 Since the 1928 version of Mickey Mouse's copyright expired, the character can be freely used in various creative works such as movies, broadcasts, cartoons, and games. Examples of famous characters becoming public property include Winnie the Pooh and Bambi the Little Deer, which showed various appearances in advertisements and movies after their copyrights expired. The cute Winnie the Pooh and Bambi also became the main characters of a horror movie. Mickey Mouse was no exception. Recently, a game distribution platform released a trailer for a horror game that transformed Mickey Mouse into a horror character.

'Winnie the Pooh', the killer horror movie protagonist, and Mickey Mouse transformed into a horror game character <source: Chosun.com/ gametoc>

Perpetual trademark rights

 Unlike copyright, which expires after the legal period, trademark rights can be renewed every 10 years, so Mickey Mouse's trademark rights are permanent. Therefore, if you want to use Mickey Mouse's name, logo, or character on a product or service, you must obtain permission from Walt Disney. In other words, the use of Mickey Mouse in copyrighted works such as movies, videos, novels, etc. is free, but when sold as a product or service, using the character without permission from the trademark holder is unauthorized use and is subject to legal action.

an example of virtual image using a character in a product (not an actual product for sale) <source: freepik>

 So far we’ve looked into how Mickey Mouse, one of the most famous characters on the planet, became public domain starting this year. I look forward to seeing Mickey Mouse more often in various forms in the future. Furthermore, we are also curious about Disney's future steps strengthening its trademark rights and discovering new characters after the expiration of the copyright for the 1928 version of Mickey Mouse. I hope that this case will be an opportunity for everyone to think about the various ripple effects that will occur due to the expiration of character copyright.