1
Google wants to buy your invention
2
Google is setting up an experiment from May 8 to
May 22 during which inventors can send pitches to
sell their patents to the search company. Since
defending and licensing a patent can be expensive
and confusing work, selling to a company like
Google might be appealing to some inventors.
After Google's two-week experiment, it will
review the submissions, aiming to get back to the
inventors by the end of June and pay them by late
August. In the too-good-to-be-true department,
Google notes that "there's some fine print that
you absolutely want to make sure you fully
understand before participating" and "we
encourage participants to speak with an
attorney. Google says it is interested in adding
the patents to its portfolio, saying it might
make money off the patents by licensing them to
other companies. Google has also used its growing
patent portfolio to stave off patent lawsuits.
The search company said it also wants to make
patent sales easier for inventors.
"Unfortunately, the usual patent marketplace can
sometimes be challenging, especially for
smaller," said Allen Lo, Google's chief patent
lawyer. "Then bad things happen, like lawsuits,
lots of wasted effort, and generally bad karma.
Rarely does this provide any meaningful benefit
to the original patent owner."
3
In Other News

• Just one day old -- and it's time for Britain's
  royal baby to meet the family. A spokesperson for
  the British royals said the UK's newest princess
  would meet her aunt Pippa Middleton and her
  grandmother Carol Middleton on Sunday. Her
  grandfather Michael Middleton also arrived at
  Kensington Palace by car. The little princess was
  born Saturday to general jubilation. She weighed
  8 pounds, 3 ounces and was healthy, as was her
  mother, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, also
  known as Kate. Her father, Prince William, was
  with his wife at the hospital. The baby's name
  has yet to be announced but the odds favor
  Charlotte and Alice.
• It's not just a pun. "May the 4th be with you" is
  a full-fledged unofficial holiday, "Star Wars
  Day. Actually, as far as Lucasfilm and Disney
  are concerned, it's quite official. So why this
  day, and what is there to do other than watch it
  trend on Twitter? As legend has it, and according
  to the origin story recognized by Lucasfilm, the
  phrase was first used on May 4, 1979, the day
  Margaret Thatcher took office as UK prime
  minister. The Conservative party allegedly placed
  an ad in the London Evening News which read, "May
  the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations.
  It took off in the social media age (where it has
  become a big deal every year) and finally
  expanded to real-life with events in Toronto.
  Now, there are events celebrating the day
  worldwide.