Starbucks sued for patent infringement; Microsoft beats At Home

The Seattle Times reported on 20 Sept 07: Starbucks was sued for allegedly infringing another company's patented design for a nonelectric coffee maker.
Bodum USA, based in New York, accused Seattle-based Starbucks of copying its silver-domed glass carafe design and selling the copy as its own "Anniversary Press" coffee maker. Both products are available in the U.S., according to the complaint filed Wednesday in federal court in Chicago. The suit seeks more than $10 million in damages.

SEPARATELY, the Seattle Times also reported on a CAFC decision favorable to Microsoft:

Microsoft won its bid to have a patent-infringement lawsuit by creditors of defunct Internet service provider At Home thrown out.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington ruled Wednesday [Sept 19] that a trust set up to pay At Home's creditors lacked authority to sue Microsoft over a patent they received in payment of bankruptcy claims.

The court ruled that U.S. patent law, not bankruptcy law, governs who has power to sue over patents transferred to help pay off a bankrupt company's debt.