Merge 3 data frames in r

This post follows our previous post summarizing Federal Circuit cases upholding software patent claims on Alice Step 1 grounds.  Here, Step 2 decisions are explored in more detail, with a focus on additional lessons learned during the Step 2 analysis.Surviving Step 2—which requires that the claims include “significantly more” than the abstract idea itself—often hinges on a factor that is found in, but is typically not the focus of, the Step 1 cases: whether the claim elements give rise to an inventive concept when considered as an ordered combination, including how the elements function in the particular arrangement claimed.  Indeed, at least three of the four cases below depend on the “ordered combination” analysis, showing that this is a key hallmark of patent eligibility on Step 2 grounds.DDR Holdings v. Hotels.com was the first Federal Circuit case to be decided in favor of patent eligibility … [Read more...] about Three Years of Alice: Federal Circuit Cases Upholding Patent Eligibility Under Alice Step 2

ENERGY AND CLIMATE DEBATEAs the clock struck midnight October 1, the United States entered a new fiscal year, and, without a budget, the federal government shut down.  Congress worked through the weekend to pass a continuing resolution, but the stalemate seems no closer to being resolved.  With the October 17 “x-day” of the debt ceiling approaching, debates over the two financial issues are beginning to merge, and pressure to come to an agreement has been mounting.Energy and environment issues have taken a backseat to the continuing resolution and the impending debt ceiling limit, and some have expressed concerns about how the shutdown will impact the scheduled operations of the government, such as the release of the 2014 renewable fuel standard targets.  Some agencies, like the Department of Defense, have been better able to weather the shutdown, but the energy and environment agencies—the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, and the … [Read more...] about Energy and Environmental Law Update – Week of October 7, 2013

Energy and Climate Debate President Obama on February 13 sent Congress a $3.8 trillion budget request for fiscal year 2013 that, after a week of hearings and analysis, is likely to continue fueling debates over spending and taxes through the end of the year. One of the most interesting highlights of the budget includes the president’s varied ways of encouraging clean energy and infrastructure spending this year as the country works to boost the economy and create jobs.In line with his State of the Union call for an all of the above energy strategy, the president’s budget request calls for an elimination of $4 billion in fossil fuel subsidies and a shift in funding from decreasing military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan to infrastructure projects. Though numerous entire department budgets remain relatively static, clean energy, climate, and environment issues are important components and priorities of the request, which encourages developing new clean energy, advancing … [Read more...] about Energy and Environment Update, February 19, 2012

The governing council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has tentatively approved a proposal that would tighten and simplify the bar passage requirement in the law school accreditation standards.Under the proposal (PDF), a law school would have to show that at least 75 percent of its graduates who took a bar exam within two years of their graduation passed.The proposal, if adopted, would eliminate altogether the first-time bar passage test contained in the current standard (PDF), which a law school can meet by showing that its first-time bar passage rate is no more than 15 points below the average first-time bar passage rate for ABA-approved schools in states where its graduates took the exam.It would keep what is known in the current standard as the ultimate bar passage test, which a law school can meet by showing that at least 75 percent of its graduates who took an exam in three of the five years passed. But it would shorten the time frame for … [Read more...] about Legal Ed Section’s council proposes tighter bar-passage requirement for law school accreditation

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in raise their hands after signing a joint statement at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea, Friday, April 27, 2018. Uncredited/AP Korea witnessed a historical moment last week when Kim Jong Un became the first leader of North Korea to cross the border into South Korea.  He met with President Moon Jae-in of South Korea for a summit to discuss their nations' ties and they signed a declaration of peace and unification.   Three US professors who study Japan, Korea, and East Asia offer an in-depth perspective of the peace treaty, historical context and why immediate reunification may not be the best goal.  Last week, the world witnessed a first tangible step toward a peaceful, prosperous Korean peninsula. OnApril 27, 2018, Kim Jong Un became the first North Korean leader to step foot in South Korea – where he was welcomed by South Korean … [Read more...] about Why reunification shouldn’t be the goal in Korea