We Are Hiring! Unified seeks Full Stack Developer

Unified Patents is a private, subscription-based company that is disrupting the patent market. The team is searching for a full stack web developer who can develop both client and server software preferably in the Bay Area.

Responsibilities include working on both the back-end infrastructure and front-end Web UIs of various projects. Design, implement and maintain scalable APIs. Build and maintain data pipelines and schedulers to provide precise and up-to-date data to customers. Translate designer mock-ups and wireframes into efficient front-end code. Discover and optimize performance bottlenecks across existing infrastructure hosted on cloud services.

The position requires a bachelor's or master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or a related field. Unified provides competitive compensation and benefits as well as a flexible work environment. For more details about the position and instructions on how to apply, view the full job listing.

Unified Launches Analog Semiconductor Zone with Industry-Leading Members

Unified Patents Launches Analog Semiconductor Protection Zone, Attracts Numerous Industry Leaders and Innovators.

This new zone brings together a fast-growing network of members to proactively reduce NPE activity in the Analog Semiconductor Sector in response to the increased NPE assertions focused on analog chips.

San Jose, Calif. – June 10, 2022 – Unified Patents LLC, the world’s only membership organization dedicated to deterring Non-Practicing Entity (NPE) activity, today announced the launch of its Analog Semiconductor Zone, which seeks to deter unsubstantiated or invalid patent assertions on technologies related to the ever-growing industry.

Semiconductor companies of all sizes are encouraged to apply for membership in the zone, with complimentary membership for small-sized businesses and scaled pricing based on revenue for larger organizations. Membership already includes numerous industry leaders. 

The Analog Semiconductor Zone comprises members that innovate in, among other things, microcontrollers, oscillators, diodes, communications-related chips, power ICs,  regulators, USB power, audio-related chips, and sensor-related chips.  Unified Patents’ latest zone accompanies its others, including cloud, content, IoT, mobile, retail, transactions, transport, cybersecurity, and networking. 

Over the last year, semiconductor and supply chain shortages have made headlines. Both have led to inflation and raised concerns about economic corrections. Chip shortages have been blamed for many of the supply chain issues, as they are necessary for so many different products now, from lightbulbs to automobiles. Though most would assume complex chips drive the shortages, in truth many of the supply chain issues are the result of analog chips. That, coupled with the relative ease of proving infringement and the ready availability of patents to license, has led NPEs to focus more resources on asserting against the analog industry. Click on the image below to review the data.

To put this issue in perspective, the top-20 plaintiffs—the frequent filers and notorious aggregators—account for nearly 60% of all analog semiconductor cases.

"As an independent third party, we continue to see great success in deterring patent trolls and killing bad patents” said Kevin Jakel, CEO at Unified Patents. “We are pleased that some of the largest companies in the industry are members of Unified Patents’ new Analog Semiconductor Zone, as this aids both large and small organizations in coming together to fight the sustained IP risk in the industry.  The rise and availability of litigation finance has only made that risk more pronounced. General counsel repeatedly praise Unified Patents’ work, which provides lasting value through powerful, ongoing NPE deterrence activities lauded by C-Level management and board members.”

The Analog Semiconductor Zone offers all semiconductor-related companies an opportunity to invest in an impactful and results-oriented organization. Unified Patents never pays any money to NPEs, whether to purchase licenses or otherwise. This ensures that Unified never incentivizes further NPE activity. By focusing on independent deterrence, Unified is never in the conflicted position of negotiating a licensing deal between NPEs and defendants in litigation. 

About Unified Patents

Founded in 2012, Unified Patents is an international membership organization that seeks to improve patent quality and deter unsubstantiated or invalid patent assertions in defined technology sectors (Zones) through its activities. As a deterrence entity, its actions focus on substantial assertions by Standards Essential Patents (SEP) holders and/or Non-Practicing Entities (NPEs). These actions may include analytics, prior art, invalidity contests, patentability analysis, administrative patent review (PTAB), amicus briefs, economic surveys, and essentiality studies. Unified works independently of its members to achieve its deterrence goals. Small members join for free, while larger organizations pay modest annual fees. Visit www.unifiedpatents.com.

Company Contact:

Unified Patents, LLC

Sasha Sokhis

VP, Head of Client Relations and Business Development 

sasha@unifiedpatents.com

First Patent Pool for 3GPP Infrastructure Launched to Help Accelerate 5G

Alium, a joint patent pool venture between MPEG LA and Unified Patents, is supporting the development of Open RAN by providing a solution to the uncertainty and risk posed by the more than 100,000 essential patents already self-declared. 

Open RAN increases competition in the telecommunications infrastructure space, enabling mobile networks to use different vendors interchangeably, thereby lowering costs. Support for Open RAN has increased significantly over the last several years. Governments around the world (including the US, India, Japan, and Australia) have declared the growth of Open RAN solutions to be strategic to their economic and national security.

But for the Open RAN market to grow to more than 220 million units by 2030 as projected, the market must address the risk and the patent uncertainty that threatens to slow adoption.

Alium was created to do that by providing a license of convenience for Radio Unit vendors to help decrease uncertainty in patent licensing fees related to their products while also providing compensation to patent holders for developing the technology.

Alium’s program is innovative:

• Offers licenses for 4G / 5G infrastructure

• Uses AI-based landscapes to determine royalty allocation (Methodology is here)

• Requires no money from patent holders to participate

• Includes a Patent Quality program to build the integrity of the Open RAN ecosystem by discouraging the assertion of invalid patents

The Alium Open RAN Radio Unit License provides a one-stop solution for vendors to receive a license with leading patent owners in a single transaction at a low per unit cost. Alium is currently signing up leading patent owners to offer the License to the market starting in Q1 2022. The full agreement is available to qualified licensors and licensees immediately.

For more information, please go to https://www.alium-llc.com/ or email: info@alium-llc.com.

Five major platforms adopt standardized patent identification format, SPIF

“This is a foundational thing, which is basically knowing what patents are involved in a transaction or some kind of interaction,” argues Shawn Ambwani, the COO of Unified Patents. “Litigation and assertion and anything related to patents are always very complicated. We should all make it as easy as possible for people to see what patents are involved.”

Cipher, Unified Patents, RPX, Aon, and Google Patents will be offering the SPIF patent identification format via their platforms in a move designed to bring more efficiency to patent transactions and portfolio management. SPIF uniquely defines patent assets so that they can be used in patent analytics, M&A, transferring patent information between firms, and buying and selling patents.

Read the article HERE on IAM’s website.

Unified seeking additional IEEE, MPEG, and 3GPP training sets

Unified Patents is seeking to license and supplement existing training sets of patents found essential and nonessential to 3GPP (5G, LTE, V2X); IEEE / 802.11 / WiFi; and Video Codecs ( VVC / H.266 and AV1). The patents and applications should be reviewed by experts and mapped against the technical specifications. This would be a joint effort and collaboration to understand fundamental technologies and their corresponding patent landscape. If you are interested in participating please contact info@unifiedpatents.com. 

Please include in any communications:

1. Technology covered, including specification number and whether user equipment or infrastructure

2. A sample of the results

3. Number of patents covered which were found to be essential and the number which were not

4. Study Methodology