Principles of Patent Law provides comprehensive coverage of the policies, laws, rules, and practices of the U.S. patent system in a format accessible to students, lawyers, government officials, and business people. The sixth edition builds on the strengths of prior editions in providing an indispensable combination of the law and economic theory of patents, with extensive and diverse legal analyses and practitioner insights. It also continues to offer unique perspectives from the theory and practice of those who use and study property rights more generally and the history of the patent system more specifically. The sixth edition has been updated to cover the extensive developments in the law since the fifth edition, including the America Invents Act. This new edition also includes materials that contrast the common, utility patent with other patent-like regimes, including plant patents and design patents. A wealth of supplementary materials are provided in an accompanying website, including full versions of background documents, such as patent files, unedited versions of important cases, extra reading, and special materials designed to help students both during their studies and while seeking a job.

Using case studies, case notes, examples, and problems to illustrate points under consideration, Principles of Patent Law presents the patent law process sequentially, highlighting the legal history and discussing the intricacies of law and technology. Covering such topics as obtaining a patent, utility, infringement, and remedies, recognized authorities provide expert commentary and advice from the viewpoint of both attorney and judge. The updated edition covers important legislative, administrative, and judicial developments, including the Festo decision at both the U.S. Supreme Court and Federal Circuit levels. It also includes many more patent drawings in principal cases, provides extensive textual revisions to statutory subject matter and remedies, and offers greater comparative coverage of patent laws of U.S., Europe, and Japan, particularly related to novelty, nonobviousness, patentable subject matter, and infringement. The third edition is supplemented by a Web site, http://law.case.edu/ppl, which is organized by chapter and principal case; the Web site also includes Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) files of patent(s)-in-suite and prior art, as well as links to relevant patent law sites.

The new edition of this leading text on patent law is an indispensable tool for both students and practitioners. The authoritative exposition of the law includes thoughtful analysis of the intricacies of the America Invents Act, in-depth discussion of nearly twenty recent Supreme Court decisions on patent law, and thorough treatment of all the leading Federal Circuit precedents. The volume also contains detailed materials on international issues, trade secret law, and specialized topics including plant patents, design patents and the Hatch-Waxman Act. The accessible prose, numerous illustrative examples, and humorous asides make the book user-friendly even for those who lack previous exposure to the field.

First published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.