Apple’s newest courtroom foe is a patent-savvy university

This week, however, a federal jury returned a verdict against Apple in a lawsuit brought by a different kind of adversary: a public university. The University of Wisconsin-Madison's licensing arm, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, convinced a jury that Apple had infringed its patent for improving chip efficiency when the company incorporated the technology into some of its phones and tablets. Research institutions and universities have not traditionally been major players in patent litigation, and even now schools still launch relatively few patent suits compared to private companies – about 40 to 50 cases per year, according to preliminary research by University of Alberta professor Tania Bubela.

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Computer science now top major for women at Stanford University

By Sarah McBride SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Computer science has for the first time become the most popular major for female students at Stanford University, a hopeful sign for those trying to build up the thin ranks of women in the technology field. Based on preliminary declarations by upper-class students, about 214 women are majoring in computer science, accounting for about 30 percent of majors in that department, the California-based university told Reuters on Friday. If more women majored in technological fields like computer science, advocates say, that could help alleviate the dearth of women in engineering and related professions, where many practitioners draw on computer science backgrounds

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Obama administration asks U.S. top court to decline Google copyright appeal

By Lawrence Hurley and Dan Levine WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The Obama administration on Tuesday sided against Google Inc and said the U.S. Supreme Court should not hear the company's appeal in a case against Oracle Corp with wide implications for the technology industry, according to a court filing. The case involves how much copyright protection should extend to the Java programing language.

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Conde Nast eyes digital viewers with virtual reality, scripted shows

By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Privately held Conde Nast may best be known as the publisher of fashion, culture and lifestyle magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair and GQ, but it is hoping to draw new consumers and advertisers through the realm of virtual reality. Conde Nast Entertainment (CNE), the publisher's film, television and video division, will unveil two original virtual reality series for the upcoming year at its Tuesday presentation before advertisers at the Newfronts, an annual digital content showcase in New York

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Facebook launches video calling in Messenger app

(Reuters) – Facebook Inc introduced free video calling in its Messenger phone app on Monday as the company seeks to transform its mobile messaging service into a full-featured platform with the same reach as its 1.4 billion user social network.

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U.S. Homeland Security to set up cyber security office in Silicon Valley

By Bill Rigby SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is in the final stages of planning to set up a satellite office in California's Silicon Valley, aiming to build relationships with the technology industry and scout for talent there, the department's secretary said on Tuesday

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