John Villasenor wrote an essay for Scientific American, espousing the importance of patents, particularly for startups and small businesses. Villasenor goes on to explain how eliminating patent protections significantly lessens incentives for entrepreneurs and startups, which has the net effect of decreasing innovation.

PatentlyO guest bloggers and professors Christopher Cotropia, Jay Kesan, and David Schwartz refute the assertion that PAE-initiated patent assertions have drastically increased recently. They cite the findings from their recent paper, Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs) Under the Microscope: An Empirical Investigation of Patent Holders as Litigant.

IP Watchdog blogger, Gene Quinn, addresses the discrepancy between how large technology companies are using patents and the IP reforms that many of them are seeking in congress.

IAM report, Joff Wild, refutes academic Robin Feldman’s criticisms of Universities transferring patents to NPEs, saying that NPEs are, in fact, the optimal route for licensing of university-generate patents.

LA Times reporter, Chris O’Brien, studied the recently released GAO report and suggests the report’s findings will have important policy and PR implications on the ongoing patent litigation debates. O’Brien points out that the report says there is misplaced focus on the identity of the litigant and not enough on the quality of patents.