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On June 15, 2015, the Open Register of Patent Ownership, known as ORoPO was launched. ORoPO is a non-profit organization that operates a free, open global database of verified patent ownership information. This type of information is maintained by patent offices around the world, including the USPTO, but unfortunately, the information available is often inaccurate or incomplete. ORoPO aims to change that and consolidate verified ownership information all in one place. Right now the database is very new and also voluntary, but some major patent holders are among the initial participants, including IBM and Microsoft.

Apple has recently filed a patent application disclosing a way to transfer data through gestures. Essentially, two users in close proximity to each other could share files between each other’s devices simply by using common gestures that they may be likely to use anyway. Just about any kind of gesture could be used to share files between users, including handshakes, high fives, waves, and fist bumps. Clearly, this technology was conceived with the Apple Watch in mind since a watch is already attached to the user’s wrist, but it could also be applied to other devices such as smartphones. To initiate the sharing of data, users could agree to first engage in a specific gesture, such as a handshake, or in some cases, data sharing could be initiated automatically. This, of course, brings up serious questions of data security and personal privacy. As with all patent filings, there is of course no guarantee that we’ll see this technology used in Apple Watches or other products anytime soon, if ever. But the idea of a fist bump file transfer certainly sounds intriguing.