One of the issues Volano Solutions faced this year when selling our mobile compliance review app Action Card was from a restaurant that expressed concern that they might be held liable for intellectual property patent infringement by using our software. We learned that there was a special breed of bottom feeder that “trolled” published patents, waiting for them to expire so that they could purchase the rights and hold others legally liable for “infringing” on their patent. This was commonly done with software and restaurant chains were targetted. It looks like that phenomenon known as “patent trolling” was dealt a blow by the Supreme Court last week. According to this post from The Verge in regard to the Supreme Court case that serves as precedent, Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank has been one of the most closely watched patent cases of the year. It takes on what patent reform advocates see as the unreasonably broad category of “software patents,” which cover a process implemented on a computer rather than a piece of design or a physical invention. Earlier, the case was said with some degree of hyperbole to spell the “death of software patents,” but this decision doesn’t necessarily stop people from patenting a software “idea,” as long as its technical steps are concrete improvements or new designs, not an aggregation of existing steps.
Some businesses were asking software providers to sign indemnification agreements to assume the liability from any patent troll who decided to file suit over the use of their intellectual property. This case basically states that you cannot simply patent a broad, abstract process, link it to software and hunt down anyone who might be using a specific software system that manages that process. This is good news for software developers that would not like to spend time and resources protecting themselves from the threat of frivolous lawsuits and should alleviate some of the anxieties businesses have about investing in process efficiency technology. As a bonus, it’s nice to see a Supreme Court ruling come down 9-0 and not 5-4.
October 9, 2024
Volano Software further commits to the Omaha community by partnering with NAM to offer custom software solutions to nonprofits in Nebraska and Western Iowa. Omaha, NE, October 2024 — Volano Software, a custom software development company, is proud to announce its partnership with the Nonprofit Association of the Midlands (NAM). This partnership brings Volano Software […]
September 28, 2024
Finding a software solution to solving a business challenge can be overwhelming. We have been helping clients find the best approach for their industry challenges since 2007. The result has always been a solution based on your unique situation for a better workflow. One of the most popular questions we hear is whether to buy […]
August 21, 2024
Fall is nearly here. That means students return to school, parents settle into their routines, and summer vacations are distant memories. It also means that the Volano Summer Internship Program is now a wrap. Our two summer interns, Daniel and Micah have packed up and returned to their Fall Semester of school. Before they left, […]
August 20, 2024
OMAHA, NEBRASKA, Volano Software Company Applications for the Nebraska Innovation Fund (NIF) Prototype Grants are open now for Nebraska-based businesses searching to take their business tech from a napkin sketch to a full-blown prototype. At Volano Software, we are highly familiar with this program. In 2023, we were awarded the matching grant for our software […]
November 27, 2023
Volano Software – ESOP Company Volano Software Company based in Omaha, Nebraska announced recently the employees are now co-owners of the software development company. This transition ushers in continued confidence in the team during a challenging time for employee retention for many other software companies. Volano Software, celebrating its 16th year as of 2023, demonstrates […]
June 13, 2023
Data is like a vast set of building blocks, each has different shapes, sizes, and colors. Just like each brick has its unique utility, every piece of data carries a unique piece of information. As a business owner, how can you possibly start understanding what all the pieces of data from those fancy reports mean? […]