It is still extraordinarily hot throughout most of the United States today. Some relief is on the horizon for tomorrow, at least for the greater Washington, DC and Northern Virginia area, with even more relief next week. After getting up early to go for a long walk with my 5 pound weights in each hand (yes, trying to lose weight) and it was 88 degrees first thing in the morning I knew I had to return to the topic of cool or cold inventions. I know I’m a geek, a nerd and extremely corny! But after the article from yesterday about Cool Wearable Innovations, I couldn’t resist writing an article titled “Cooler Innovation.”

It is fair to say that the eastern half of the United States is experiencing prolonged heat like few can ever remember. With that in mind I thought it might be an interesting time to take a look at some of the innovations that attempts to beat summer heat have lead to over the years. The theme here is wearable coolness. So sit right back in your chair, hopefully in a heavily air conditioned office or home, and get in touch with your inner inventor. These individuals came up with something patentable, and necessity is certainly the mother of innovation. Who knows, perhaps this prolonged heat agony will lead to a who new crop of gadgets associated with keeping one cool and refreshed during the dog days of summer.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), in conjunction with INSEAD, released the 2012 Global Innovation Index (GII) on July 3, 2012. The GII model included study of 141 economies, which represent 94.9% of the world’s population and 99.4% of the world’s GDP (measured in US dollars). Once again, for the second year in a row, Switzerland, Sweden and Sinagpore top the list, which measures overall innovation performance. The report ranks countries on the basis of their innovation capabilities and results. The United States ranked 10th.

Earlier this week, the United States Supreme Court handed down its opinion on the Stolen Valor Act (18 U.S.C. §§704). This poor little First Amendment case has been largely ignored for the simple fact that it was published just before the Healthcare Decision. U.S. v. Alvarez answers the question of whether it is acceptable to lie about receiving military awards, more specifically, the Medal of Honor. What is interesting about the opinion for us Intellectual Property nerds is that the concurrence and the dissent both appear to suggest that the harm resulting from such behavior is analogous to dilution in trademark law.

It seems that at least one major component of the restructuring is being driven by the company’s attempts to move forward with open source, but doing so in such as way that insulates the vast majority of its patent portfolio. Essentially, Qualcomm appears to be creating a corporate shield to make sure that there are not any claims, legitimate or frivolous, that its open source initiatives will come back to take a bite out of their propriety business build on an extensive patent portfolio. If this is indeed what Qualcomm is doing it seems like an exceptionally smart move. Once you open up to open source there can be many strings attached and if you take you allow others to take from you.

David Kappos today announced plans to open regional USPTO offices in or around Dallas, Texas, Denver, Colorado, and Silicon Valley, California. These offices are in addition to the already-announced first USPTO satellite office to open on July 13 in Detroit, Michigan. The four offices will function as hubs of innovation and creativity, helping protect and foster American innovation in the global marketplace, helping businesses cut through red tape, and creating new economic opportunities in each of the local communities.

It almost boggles the mind, but this Federal Register Notice explains that the USPTO is undertaking a study to determine the feasibility of requiring economically significant patents to be kept under lock and key. Yes, pursuant to a request from our brilliant members of Congress the USPTO is going to study whether economically significant patents should be placed under a secrecy order, thereby scuttling any opportunity for the innovation to be patented until such time as it is no longer economically significant.

No matter where we go these days, social media surrounds us. It seems everyone is saying, “Follow us on Twitter.” “Like us on Facebook.” “For More Information Scan Our QR Code.” Just this week alone I have seen at least a dozen places in my everyday life where social media has come into the real world; At church, On my way home from the airport on the backs of hotel shuttle vans; At my local coffee shop to name a few. Social media is here to stay and businesses of all sizes know it. But what many smaller businesses don’t know or care to realize is that there are several bad habits that still need to be broken in order to make the most out of their social media strategies. Following is a list of these common bad habits and what small business can do to get it break away from these same old mistakes.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Tessera Technologies has acquired a Tier One qualified camera module manufacturing business. While it likely wasn’t the only motivation, it would be naive, however, not to recognize the obvious reality that while this will significantly raise their bottom line it will also provide litigation advantages. Nevertheless, the reality is that Tessera and others shouldn’t have to explore manufacturing solely for the purpose of insulating themselves from ridiculous, asinine arguments by those in Silicon Valley who couldn’t innovate their way out of a wet paper bag. Having said that, if you are merely an innovator, patent troll, NPE or whatever you want to call it you really need to consider developing at least some manufacturing capabilities.

A method to reduce the national debt comprising a “Skinny Jeans Tax” whereby… Does anyone think they look good in skinny jeans? Where on earth are the fashion police when you need them? In any event, those paying the “Fat Tax” certainly wouldn’t be caught dead wearing skinny jeans, and why would anyone who can actually fit into skinny jeans want to demonstrate for all the world to see that they are little more than a frail package of skin and bones? Being too skinny is just as unhealthy, if not even more unhealthy, than being too fat. Because your Congress and President care about you so much they will initiate a “Skinny Jeans Tax” that gives you incentive to eat enough not to look like a fool. This tax comes in two forms. In the “phase in years” it will apply only to those who actually buy skinny jeans. In out years, after fully phased in, it will apply to anyone who could fit into skinny jeans, regardless of purchase or violation of common sense protocols.

It was less than two weeks ago that AOL announced that it completed a $1.056 billion patent transaction with Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT). At the time of the announcement of the Microsoft transaction AOL explained that the company expected to provide additional details to shareholders by the end of June. Earlier today, AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) announced that it has commenced a modified Dutch auction tender offer to repurchase shares of its common stock up to an aggregate purchase price of $400 million, making good on its earlier promise to shareholders. Indeed, this announcement is being touted by the company as a first step in returning 100% of the proceeds of its recent patent transaction to its shareholders by the end of calendar 2012.

Merck and AstraZeneca Agree to Amend Partnership – Theradiag Acquires Innovative MicroRNA Technology Platform – 8×8 Sells Patent Family – MPEG LA Announces Call for Patents Essential HEVC – International Rectifier Enters Into Patent License Agreement – Acacia Subsidiary Acquires 156 U.S. and International Patents – Acacia Subsidiary Acquires Patents for X-Ray Powder Diffraction.

I am all for coherent strategies, but this seems a bit odd if you ask me. During the summer months in the last year of President Obama’s first term? Could this have anything to do with the fact that he is increasingly unable to raise campaign contributions from Wall Street and is instead nearly exclusively turning to Hollywood for donations? Frankly, even if there are broader political motives at play, it is about time that IP take on a more prominent role.

With approximately 140 signatories to the Final Act, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, or the “Beijing Treaty,” strengthens intellectual property protections for actors, musicians, and dancers globally, by requiring countries to ensure updated and consistent standards of protection for performers in audiovisual works.

The President’s gavel brought an end to over 12 years of negotiations held under WIPO auspices. Mr. Gurry hailed this major development in the history of international copyright as a success of the multilateral system. “The conclusion of the Beijing Treaty is an important milestone toward closing the gap in the international rights system for audiovisual performers and reflects the collaborative nature of the multilateral process,” Mr. Gurry said. He noted that “the international copyright framework will no longer discriminate against one set of performers.”