Arbitration of Patent Disputes: An Important Option in the Age of Information Technology
Karl P. Kilb · FLASH - Fordham Law Archive of Scholarship & History (Fordham University) · 1993
mation services into a single, interactive industry.5 Telephone companies 6 and power companies 7 are expected to dramatically increase their involvement in the transfer of information, through the addition of greater information-carrying capabilities to their existing lines.Each road in the information superhighway is likely to involve intellectual property and, in particular, a patented invention.8 As the superhighway is built, patent disputes will arise.For example, Spectrum Information Technologies recently obtained a patent on its "direct connect" method of connecting portable computers with cellular telephones using a simple wire connection.9 There are conflicting opinions on the need to license this patent, creating potential disputes.'0 The prevalence of such newly-developed, highly-technical inventions will increase the likelihood of patent disputes, and the value of resolution through arbitration.This Note will explore ways in which arbitration-the voluntary submission of a dispute to a disinterested person or persons for final and binding determination"--can be highly effective in re-5.Id. at 52. 6. Rich Brown, Cable Sees Positives In Telco Entry Ruling, BROADCASTING & CABLE, Aug. 30, 1993, at 11. See also Chesapeake & Potomac Tel.Co. v. United States, No. CIV.92-1751-A, 1993 WL 321669 (E.D. Va