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Unified Patents, backed by Google, takes fight to patent trolls

A new front has been opened in the ongoing battle between patent trolls and their targets.

A startup, called Unified Patents and formed by former Intuit intellectual property litigation chief Kevin Jakel, attempts to take aim at companies that collect patents and target other businesses for licensing fees or lawsuits. Unified Patents, which made its presence known in a Wall Street Journal profile yesterday, believes that it can achieve its goal by showing strength in numbers. It's currently in the process of recruiting several companies to join the organization and the fight.

According to the Journal, Unified Patents has … Read more

Report claims Google in talks to acquire WhatsApp for $1 billion

Google is in talks to acquire cross-platform messaging application WhatsApp, claims a Digital Trend report.

Google and WhatsApp have been talking for "four or five weeks," according to Digital Trends, citing a person who claims to have knowledge of the negotiations. So far, WhatsApp has been able to push the acquisition price to nearly $1 billion by "playing hardball," the source says.

WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging applications available to mobile users. The app allows users on almost any mobile platform -- including Android, iOS, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone -- to send instant … Read more

Paul Allen's VC firm to open new office in Silicon Valley

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's venture-capital firm is opening an office in Silicon Valley.

Vulcan Capital, which has invested in a wide array of companies, including DreamWorks Animation and Redfin, has decided to open an office in Palo Alto, Calif., the company has confirmed to Reuters. The office, which will open at some point in the next few weeks, will focus on technology, Internet, and software companies. It will chiefly invest in middle- and late-stage startups, as well as pre-IPO deals.

"We are going to expand our footprint in broad tech investments, we'd like to get more resources, … Read more

Twitter courting mobile developers for event next week

Twitter today invited developers to a platform-focused event at its headquarters early next week, where it plans to show off new features.

The event -- which begins at 6:30 p.m. next Tuesday and is scheduled to run until 9 p.m. -- is not open to the press, the company said.

The company offered no other details as to what will be in store, though noted that it would focus on "mobile oriented" things.

"We've been working on some exciting new features for the Twitter Platform, and we'd like to share those with … Read more

Second act for the unorthodox Steve Case

When F. Scott Fitzgerald claimed that "there are no second acts in American life," he clearly didn't foresee the resilient career of the man who once headed America Online. Rita Braver reports:

He was the Boy Wonder of computing, co-founding the pioneering Internet service America Online while still in his twenties, and then helping make it the top-earning stock of the 1990s -- trying, he told CBS News back in 1997, "to build an interactive medium to inspire people's lives."

And if you've ever wondered what happened to Steve Case, look no further. … Read more

Spotify's Daniel Ek: I don't worry about Apple, Google

AUSTIN, Texas -- Google is aiming to roll out two subscription music services this summer, and Apple is reportedly trying again to tackle the streaming business. But Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek says he's not concerned, because his company is laser-focused on music and music only.

"We're obviously watching what everybody is doing," said Ek, who wore a Gibson guitar T-shirt and was interviewed by Forbes Associate Editor Steve Bertoni at the SXSW Interactive conference. "Music is something that is so inherently important to people that it makes sense for gigantic companies to have … Read more

Spotify: Growing like mad, yet so far to go

AUSTIN, Texas -- It's not a bluegrass jam on the legendary Austin City Limits stage, but for Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, it nonetheless will be a heady moment.

When Ek sits for a fireside chat at the South By Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Festival here later today, the Swedish-born, aspiring music industry mogul will be able to share some fresh bragging rights: Spotify has signed another 1 million subscribers since December, bringing the total to 6 million and cementing its position as the fastest-growing digital music company ever -- second in reach only to Internet radio company Pandora. A company … Read more

More drivers come to UberX in San Francisco

Uber's UberX service, which uses hybrid cars and charges customers less for trips than in traditional cars, is getting a boost, the company has announced.

Uber will be partnering with more drivers in San Francisco through its UberX service, according to a company blog post yesterday. The hybrid cars meet California's requirements for driving, as well as Uber's screening tests to ensure they're fit to handle service, the company said.

UberX was unveiled in July as an invite-only service for San Francisco. At that time, the company said that it couldn't offer it to everyone … Read more

VC Bill Gurley defends investment in money-losing Snapchat

Bill Gurley, a longtime Silicon Valley investor with Benchmark Capital, today defended his firm's investment in Snapchat, the social-media app designed to let users send pictures and videos that self-destruct after a set time.

Gurley, who spoke on a panel of venture capitalists at Goldman Sachs' annual Technology and Internet Conference in San Francisco, was asked why he'd invest in a startup with no revenue model. Benchmark led a $13.5 million investment in the app, valuing Snapchat at $60 million to $70 million, which was first reported by The New York Times.

"If you look at … Read more