August 17, 2007
Do Patented Items Make Money
Michael Fitzgerald (The New York Times, July 15, 2007) shares the views of lawyers, economists, and inventors on whether the current U.S. patent laws help or discourage innovation.
For example, James Bessen (lecturer at Boston University’s law school) has demonstrated that patent litigation costs are almost twice as high as the profits from the patented items. He is working on a forthcoming book that will document his findings and theories. Some researchers have suggested his profit estimates are too low.
The article also discusses solutions to modifying or demolishing the current patent system. For example, the USPTO is experimenting with public, open commenting to help patent examiners.
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Comments
Posted on August 28, 2007 09:32 AM
very useful article for me.
Posted on September 28, 2007 06:22 PM
The question of who owns what in the world of intellectual property & inventions is a daunting one. It's when two inventors claim to "own" the same technology that patent infringement lawsuits arise. That's why clarifying who owns what, and defining the scope of those claims, is so important. In an effort to suuport the USPTO, a site called www.wikipatents.com allows the public (registration is free) to comment on the validity and scope of inventors' claims. It's a very interesting site!