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A Munich Regional Court ruled on September 18 that Micron infringed two YMTC utility model patents covering 3D NAND technology, granting injunctions with 10-year protection terms. Three other related cases in the same filing were adjourned. Micron says it disputes the ruling and has filed an appeal to the Munich Higher Regional Court.
Microsoft has filed a patent application, published in July and titled 'Generative Narrative Game Experience With Player Feedback,' for a system that uses generative AI to alter quests, storylines and world details based on individual player behavior. The technology would track player actions through a 'narrative state graph' and could also factor in facial expressions and other emotional signals to decide which characters or areas to expand.
Microsoft has published a patent application titled "Contextually Aware Management of Interactive Software Application Access," describing a system that uses signals from a game engine to insert ads at natural pause points like boss fights, loading screens, or cutscene transitions. The system would display a video or static ad and reset a timer before searching for the next opportunity to interrupt gameplay. Microsoft has not confirmed whether or when this system will be implemented in actual games.
A Texas jury ruled that Bambu Lab's X1, P1, and A1 printer lines infringe two Stratasys patents covering prime tower purging and bed-leveling force-sensor methods, ordering Bambu Lab to pay $27.6 million in damages. No injunction was issued against the affected machines, all part of Bambu's first-generation lineup. Bambu Lab's newer H2 and X2 series use dual-nozzle and optical-sensor designs that reportedly sidestep the disputed patents.
Microsoft has filed a patent for a content management system that inserts ads into games during natural downtimes, such as after boss fights, during loading screens, or in menus. The game freezes while an ad plays, and watching it grants the player a fresh block of ad-free playtime before the cycle repeats.
Microsoft has submitted a patent application, US 2026/0260258 A1, outlining a system that inserts ads into PC and console games at points the game itself flags as natural breaks—like after a boss fight, at the end of a cutscene, or during a loading screen—rather than on a fixed timer. Players would first get an ad-free window, either time-based or tied to progress, and watching an ad afterward would earn a 'credit' extending uninterrupted play.
The US International Trade Commission has launched a Section 337 investigation into Apple, Samsung, and Google following a complaint from BoomCloud 360, a California audio tech firm. BoomCloud 360 alleges the three companies' spatial audio features infringe three of its patents covering gain adjustment, speaker asymmetry compensation, and crosstalk correction.
A Science journal analysis of patent citations and publications found that Chinese companies placed on the US Entity List increased their reliance on scientific literature to drive innovation, compared with similar firms not sanctioned. These restricted companies filed more patents citing scientific research and published more scientific articles than their unsanctioned counterparts after being blacklisted.
A 2008 Vanity Fair investigation recounts how Monsanto sent investigators to confront people over alleged unauthorized planting of its patented genetically modified soybeans, even targeting a small-town store owner in Eagleville, Missouri, who had no connection to farming or seed sales. The piece portrays a pattern of intimidation, threats and lawsuits used by the company to police its seed patents across rural America.
trinamiX, a sensor technology spin-off of BASF, has filed a lawsuit accusing Apple of infringing seven patents covering skin-detection methods used to defeat spoofing attempts against Face ID. The suit targets recent iPhone models from the 15 through 17 lineup, the iPhone Air, and several iPad Pro generations, arguing Apple copied technology that distinguishes real human skin from masks or photos using reflected light patterns.
A Damn Interesting feature recounts the ordeal of pharmacist Edmund Lawall, whose Manhattan drug store became the scene of a violent 1906 confrontation involving a fleeing doctor, an armed young man, and an enraged crowd of Yiddish-speaking immigrants. The piece situates this dramatic episode within the broader, little-known history of mass adenoid and tonsil operations performed on immigrant children in early 20th-century New York.
Meta was granted a patent last week for a hardware-enforced privacy system that includes a 'mute or lock' switch capable of disabling sensors on devices like its Ray-Ban smart glasses. The filing, submitted in February, comes as the company's camera-equipped glasses have drawn widespread criticism and earned the nickname 'pervert glasses' due to misuse by harassers and voyeurs.