Corporate Counsel
ALM Properties, Inc.
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Top Three Stories of 2012: Kent Walker, GC of Google

Corporate Counsel

12-01-2012


  1. The year of the patent troll. Despite the recent adoption of the America Invents Act, software patent litigation skyrocketed in 2012, with companies fighting off nonpracticing entities (also known as patent trolls) and expensive and distracting lawsuits. Calls for "patent peace" increased as companies sought to return to the business of innovating, not litigating.
  2. The year the "netroots" mobilized. Internet "blackout" protests spurred by antipiracy legislation that would have censored the Web ushered in a new era of citizen engagement, and showed that we can indeed protect IP in ways that don't hurt security, free expression, and innovation.
  3. The year of the user. With over 1 billion users on Facebook, over 1 million apps on Android and Apple and ­Amazon, and a flood of new cloud-based devices and services, users have more technology choices and opportunities than ever before.