patents

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is expected this year to take up the issue of "patent trolls" again.

You probably already know about existing employee monitoring software that can capture your keystrokes or screenshots or track which websites you visit while on the clock — but a new patent idea from Microsoft would take workplace surveillance one step further with software that can actually analyze human behavior.

An unprecedented wave of drug patent expirations in the next year will usher in generics that will dramatically reduce the prices of some of world’s best-selling medications, including cholesterol drug Lipitor and blood thinner Plavix. Other drugs used to treat conditions such as asthma, diabetes, HIV and depression will also be affected. “My estimation is at least 15 percent of the population is