Patent Reform Getting a Fresh Look
Information Today, Vol. 24, No. 2, p. 15, February 2007
3 Pages Posted: 15 Jul 2010
Date Written: February 1, 2007
Abstract
The stunning rise in patents, patent lawsuits and patent controversies has emerged as a serious concern to the information industry. Between 1963 and 2005 the number of patent applications in the United States has quadrupled. The number of patent applications filed world wide increased nearly 10-fold.
Patents, like copyrights, foster technological development and growth by providing to an inventor a legal monopoly over his or her invention. Patents give the inventor an exclusive right to develop, use, license, or restrict access to the invention. Many patents are issued for inventions that never see commercial development. Many patents have been issued for inventions that end up part of more complex inventions. It is this latter practice that has raised the controversy.
Keywords: patents, patent law, patent lawsuits, patent reform, patent trolls, infringement, legislation, information industry, BlackBerry, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, USPTO, international patent law
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