Innovation & Intellectual Property
Recent Innovation News
Brazil's fast-growing fintechs form groups to discuss regulation
SAO PAULO Financial technology firms in Brazil are grouping to discuss with local watchdogs how to regulate the fast-growing sector, in which the number of players has risen roughly six-fold over the past couple of years.
Star-studded legal team will seek to save Samsung chief
SEOUL Samsung chief Jay Y. Lee has handpicked 13 top lawyers to defend him against charges of bribing the South Korean president, nearly all of them former judges or prosecutors, according to the court where one of the richest men in the country will be tried.
Exclusive: Japan's Toshiba prepares $2 billion sale of Landis+Gyr - sources
FRANKFURT/BERLIN/ZURICH Japan's Toshiba Corp is preparing a potential $2 billion divestment of smart meter group Landis+Gyr, hoping to rake in capital after a major writedown on its U.S. nuclear unit last month, three people familiar with the matter said.
Amazon deepens university ties in artificial intelligence race
SAN FRANCISCO Amazon.com Inc has launched a new program to help students build capabilities into its voice-controlled assistant Alexa, the company told Reuters, the latest move by a technology firm to nurture ideas and talent in artificial intelligence research.
South Africa in talks with Airbus, Boeing to print 3D parts
JOHANNESBURG South African researchers developing the world’s largest machine for producing aircraft parts using lasers to melt powdered titanium are in talks with Airbus and Boeing, with the first commercial application expected in 2019.
Tesla's SolarCity cut 20 percent of staff in 2016
SolarCity, which was acquired by Tesla Inc at the end of last year, slashed nearly 20 percent of its staff in 2016 as it sought to preserve cash amid slowing growth in the rooftop solar industry.
U.S. appeals court tosses patent verdict against Apple
A federal appeals court has thrown out a jury verdict that had originally required Apple Inc to pay $533 million to Smartflash LLC, a technology developer and licenser that claimed Apple's iTunes software infringed its data storage patents.
Uber's self-driving unit quietly bought firm with tech at heart of Alphabet lawsuit
SAN FRANCISCO A company now owned by Uber last year quietly bought a small firm specializing in sensor technology used in autonomous vehicles, giving the ride services company a patent in the technology and possibly a defense against a trade secrets theft lawsuit filed against it by rival Alphabet Inc.
The World’s Most Innovative Research Institutions – 2017
March 1 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a reputation for being a staid regulatory and service agency in charge of essential programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. It doesn’t exactly enjoy a reputation for being a hotbed of innovation—but it should.
YouTube unveils live TV service for cord cutters
LOS ANGELES Alphabet Inc's YouTube will launch a live TV service featuring U.S. broadcast networks and cable channels to attract young fans of online videos to a pay television package, YouTube executives said on Tuesday.
State of Innovation
Reuters Top 100: The World's Most Innovative Universities - 2016
The educational institutions that top Reuters' second annual ranking prove that in the fast-changing world of science and technology, you can't rest on your laurels. Full article
Asia’s Most Innovative Universities
From Cambridge to Copenhagen, Dresden to Dublin, Reuters ranks the academic institutions producing the most influential research and generating the largest number of patents. Full article
Europe's Most Innovative Universities
From Cambridge to Copenhagen, Dresden to Dublin, Reuters ranks the academic institutions producing the most influential research and generating the largest number of patents. Full article