Thursday, June 6, 2013
! The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
C fe ii gan Baihj
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@umich.edu
Thursday, June 6, 2013
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
9
KEVIN TUNGI
Patent trolling
Good, but not good enough 'M' finishes season
KATIE BURKE
EDITOR IN CHIEF
ERIC FERGUSON
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
ELLIOT ALPERN
MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
F ROM T H. .,,A
Legacy admiussions
'U' should clarify how legacy factors into applications
According to a recent New York Times article, the University's
enrollment of low-income students is substantially lower than sev-
eral similar universities. Though there are many factors contribut-
ing to that fact, one, legacy status, stands out for its role in the admissions
process. How the Office of Undergraduate Admissions uses legacy status
while making decisions isn't readily apparent, though it does collect that
data. Other schools have released admissions data for legacy applicants,
and some have even gone as far as dropping legacy entirely from their
admissions process. The University should follow both of these examples
- legacy status is a dubious category to include in an application process.
At the very least, admissions should clarify its policy towards legacy admis-
sions and make information about the acceptance rate for legacy students
Many major technology com-
panies such as Apple, Hewlett-
Packard, Samsung and Dell
have been bombarded with law-
suits on the grounds of patent
infringement. Patent holding
firms, or "patent trolls," accu-
mulate and bundle together
portfolios of patents and then
sue major companies for pat-
ent infringement. These patent
trolls then make a quick buck off
licensing fees and damages and
force companies to take on cost-
lylawsuits to protect their prod-
ucts. Sometimes businesses are
sued without even knowing the
owner of the patent. Businesses
are put at a disadvantage as pat-
ent trolls exploit loopholes in
the system.
Rep. Ted Deutch's (D-Fla.)
End Anonymous Patents Act
was introduced and passed in
an effort to combat patent troll-
ing activities and put a stop
to some of its inflictions upon
businesses, such as discourag-
ing future inventions, and it
would strengthen the patent
system. With the introduction
and enforcement of the EAPA,
there will be tightened regula-
tion in place and inventors and
small businesses will be free
from the grip of patent trolls
who are currently abusing the
patent system for personal gain,
The customer-suit exception
is one part of the EAPA that is
invoked as an exception to the
First-Filed rule, which allows a
federal district court to decide
what to do with a complaint
when there's already a similar
complaint set as a precedent in
court. Customer-suit exception
allows a later filed case against
or by the manufacturer to take
precedent over the earlier filed
case. Since the manufacturer
must protect customers in order
to avoid rulings against its prod-
ucts, the manufacturer is tech-
nically the "true defendant in a
case." Compared to an individu-
al customer, a manufacturer has
a stronger interest in defending
on the grounds of minimizing
litigation cost than they do for
litigating merits of the case. The
greater influence the manu-
facturer has is salient to busi-
ness's long-term growth. Thus,
it's in the favor of the business
being sued to be able to turn to
the customer-suit exception for
legal assistance.
By demanding letters and
litigation, the EAPA would
also make the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office keep records
of patents and be informed of
real-party-in-interest infor-
mation. Increased transpar-
ency would help to reduce the
defendant's litigation cost by
eliminating the real owner of
the patent's anonymity. In addi-
tion, a user-friendly webpage
would be made available for
the public to access basic pat-
ent data recorded at PTO. The
freer flow of basic information
shall increase transparency
and make it more efficient for
both the general public and
businesses to make evaluations
and judgments.
The EAPA and its
enforcement would save small
companies and businesses
from being ripped off by patent
trolls. With ample information
resources, companies would be
able to protect their products
and services by analyzing and
comparing patent-holding firms
before deciding to do business
with them. This is the age
of information. To a trader,
having information about a
stock allows for more precise
prediction. In the case of
patents having information
about patent-holding firms and
patent records collectedby PTO
allows for higher transparei'
and better protection winh
in turt encourageo more
proprietary inventions.
In response to the increase
in patent abuse cases, the EA P
was introduced and implemen:-
ed to restore and reinforce the
dignified freedom that was key
to nurturing new inventions and
new ideas. The customer-suit
exception will allow manufac-
turers to take a legal stance in
the best interests of the business
as the true defendant in court.
With more transparency and
information resources, there
will be reduced litigation costs
and businesses will be more
effectively protected from pat-
ent trolls. The End Anonymous
Patents Act will be a big part of
the solution to strengthen the
patent system and encourage
business inventions.
Kevin Tung is an LSA senior.
Any time a Michigan team wins
a Big Ten championship, the sea-
son is
deemed
a suc- JASON
cess. RUBINSTEIN
The
MThi- On Women's Tennis
gan
women's tennis team may be the
exception, though.
This year's team won a Big Ten
title, but time after time couldn't
win on the big stage. Despite the
title, the Wolverines could've
done more.
Entering her sixth year as head
coach, Ronni Bernstein had a rock
solid team, from top to bottom.
But the depth couldn't prove
enough in crunch time.
Michigan fell in the Big Ten
Tournament final, was ousted in
the Sweet 16, and no individual
team got passed the second round
of the NCAA Championships.
Under Bernstein, the program
has been successful. The Big Ten
Coach of the Year stresses team
over self, and in turn, individual
success occurs. But come crunch
time, the team faltered.
After losing just once in the
Big Ten season, the Wolverines
won their fourth-straight Big Ten
title, and were poised to bring
that momentum tuto the Big Ten
Tournament
For Michigan, the Big Ten
Tournament has been a struggle
in recent years, as it can never
seem to win the crown. For the
past eight years, the Wolverines
have fallen in the final and seven
of those times were to Northwest-
ern.
And this year was no different.
Though they defeated the
Wildcats in their regular season
meeting, the Wolverines couldn't
find a way to win when the
tournament was on the line.
ThetournamentwasMichigan's
to lose - the Wolverines boasted
a far stronger singles lineup and
more depth than Northwestern
brought to the table.
What plagued this year's team
was the inability to regroup and
compose itself after giving up the
doubles point. Michigan was 19-0
when winning the point, but just
3-6 without it.
And while the 19-0 record is
noteworthy, the best teams, like
the 2013 champion, Stanford,
manage to fight back after they
give up the doubles point.
When a team relies so heavily
on the doubles point, it must
put out three competitive duos.
Depth, not a star-studded pair,
is what makes the best teams so
good.
This year, Michigan's third
position had an 8-14 record. When
a spot in the lineup struggles so
heavily, like the Wolverines' third
pair, the pressure is increased
drastically for the top two pairs.
If Michigan's most reliable pair,
junior Brooke Bolender and
sophomore Emina Bektas, are
losing, or even the second pair,
it's almost a sure-fire bet that the
Wolverines will lose the doubles
point. More times than not, the
third pair could not get the win,
putting enormous pressure on the
first two teams.
Take the NCAA Team
Championships, for example.
No. 10 Michigan was taking on
No. 7 UCLA and knew it needed
the doubles point to win the meet.
UCLA boasted one of the strongest
singles lineups in the country,
complemented by a successful
group of doubles pairings.
But the team's third pair
was dominated, putting all the
pressure on the top two pairs.
Bektas and Bolender pulled out a
win on their court, but the second
pair couldn't grind out the win,
giving UCLA the point.
The Bruins went onto win three
singles matches, removing the
Wolverines from the tournament
and ending their team season.
If the 2013-14 team needs to fix
one thing, it's the doubles lineup.
Michigan proved to be unbeat-
able when winning the point, and
by solidifying bottom pairings the
team will see greatness.
The good news for the
Wolverines isthatthey'rebringing
back their top pair of Bektas and
Bolender, and will have a veteran
in sophomore Sarah Lee and the
Big Ten Freshman of the Year
Ronit Yurovsky.
On the individual side, the team
also needs more.
Michigan has the skill to win
on the national level. Bektas and
Bolender were a 5-8 seed in the
doubles draw, earning them All-
American status, and were already
playing familiar opponents from
UCLA.
But the reliable pair faltered,
losing in straight sets. Though
the Bruins were a very strong and
capable team, this was a shocking
upset. The Wolverine pair
throughout the season cited their
success based on aggressiveness
and an ability to fight, but come
crunch time, it failed.
This pair will need to
rebound next season. Bektas and
Bolender play with a style that
all the Michigan pairings should
emulate. Having both players at
the net every point could be the
strategy Bernstein should instill
in all three teams, and there is
no better way to learn than from
Bektas and Bolender.
Singles is a different story.With
only two NCAA qualifiers, Bektas
and Yurovsky, not much was
expected. Yet the results were still
disappointing.
Bektas was ousted in the first
round, which marked the second
straight year this happened. If
Bektas truly wants to cement her
legacy as one of the Michigan
greats, she will need to do moreon
the national stage.
Yurovsky's results were
different. The freshman got to
the second round and lost to the
eventual champion, Nicole Gibbs
of Stanford. Yurovsky gave Gibbs
arguably her toughest match of
the tournament, though. The
Wolverines have a lot to look
forward to in Yurovsky.
If there's one thing to know
about this year's singles lineup,
it's that it was young, overall.
Michigan's oldest singles player
was junior Bolender.
With such a young team,
growing pains were going to be
inevitable. The team showed
success but when playing three-
set matches, the opposing team
usually pulled out the win. With
time, three-set wins and the
mental fortitude will get better.
With the whole singles lineup
returning, and with the additions
of five-star recruit Sara Remynse
and Colombian Laura Ucros,
this team should boast one of the
strongest lineups in the Big Ten
and even the country.
The future is bright for the
Wolverines, and only they can
control their destiny.
By BO BRADARICH
Daily Sports Writer
This weekend marked the
Michigan women's rowing team's
sixth-straight appearance in the
NCAA Championships. Though all
eyes were set on seizing their 13th
Top-10 finish in program history, it
failed to do so, settling for 12th.
In the end, the Wolverines con-
cluded the NCAA Championships
with a ninth-place showing in the
1V8, 12th in the 1V4, and 15th in the
2V8. In total, Michigan only accu-
mulated 69 points throughout the
competition. The first place finish-
er, Ohio State, amassed 126.
Upon entering competition,
Michigan was ranked the 12th seed
in the first varsity eight, 15th seed
in the second varsity eight and the
13th seed in the varsity four.
On the first day of competition,
the Wolverines' 1v8 placed third in
theirheatwithatimeof(7:02.313,13
seconds behind first-place Virginia
(6:49.64). The 2v8 also finished
third in their race, finishing with a
time of7:08.61-12 seconds behind
California - while the 1v4 finished
4th behind Washington, Notre
Dame and UCLA.
These results forced Michigan
to row in the repechage races in the
afternoon, where it would have to
climbup the ladder format to decide
the team's placement in the finals.
The 1v8 came out strong, winning
their heat with a time of 7:09.964.
The first place performance pushed
the Wolverines to an A/B semifinal
showing the following day.
The 2v8 came in third in their
repechage heat behind UCLA and
Stanford with a time of 7:31.747, but
Michigan was senttothe C/D semi-
finals, as only the top two finishers
in each heat advance to A/B's.
However, what the Wolverines
lacked in speed this season, they
made up for in wit. The women's
rowing team placed 18 student-
athletes on the All-Big Tee
academic squad. Michigan also
had four student-athletes receive
Central All-Region awards from
the Collegiate Rowing Coaches
Association. Senior Melisa Ongun
and sophomore Jessica Eiffert
were selected for the first team,,
while seniors Shannon Stief and
Kate Grimaldi earned second-team
accolades.
--.5 OK
available to the public.
A "legacy" student or applicant
is someone whose sibling, parent or
grandparent went to the University.
At some schools, whether or not an
applicant has legacy status gives
that student special consideration
in the admission process. One study
looking at over two dozen univer-
sities found that a parental legacy
connection to a school increased
a student's chances of getting
accepted by up to 45.1 percent. For
an applicant to the University, how-
ever, it's extremely difficult to judge
how legacy factors into the admis-
sions process. Admissions uses the
Common Application, which col-
lects information about siblings and
parents who went to the University,
but the Undergraduate Admissions
website doesn't mention legacy as
one of the factors in the admissions
process. The presence of a question
on last year's Common App supple-
ment asking applicants to name any
grandparents who went to the Uni-
versity further confounds the issue.
Students planning to apply to
the University in the coming years
deserve to know exactly how
legacy status factors into their
applications, and it's primarily for
their sake that the University should
clarify their policy. If it is a factor,
the University should abolish this
practice. Consideration based on
legacy status is a form of nepotism
and has no place in the University
admissions process.
Other universities such as Texas
A&M and Massachusetts Institute
of Technology have eliminated leg-
acy considerations in admissions.
The University should follow suit
with these schools if it uses legacy
status in a similar way, as those
programs make it harder for other
students to get in. They also tend to
cut down on diversity, as past gen-
erations of college graduates have
had a higher proportion of whites
than the current generation. Exam-
ining how the University uses lega-
cy status in the admissions process
is a vital step towards ensuring all
students have a fair shot to get into
this University.
FOLLOW DAILY OPINION ON TWITTER
Keep up with columnists, read Daily editorials, view cartoons and join in the debate.
Check out @michdailyoped to get updates on Daily opinion content.