Introduction -- Defining the public interest in the US and European patent systems -- Confronting the questions of life-form patentability -- Commodification, animal dignity, and patent-system publics -- Forging new patent politics through the human embryonic stem cell debates -- Human genes, plants, and the distributive implications of patents -- Conclusion

Never before has one resource broken down the process for drafting software patent specifications and claims into manageable segments. Software Patents, Third Edition will show you how to draft accurate, complete patent applications -- applications that will be approved by the patent office and that will stand in court if challenged. It discusses what a software patent is and the legal protection it offers; who holds software patents and for what inventions; and the steps you can take to protect software inventions in the worldwide marketplace. The book also explores internet and e-commerce patents and information protection using the software patent. Completely revised and updated in a new looseleaf format, Software Patents, Third Edition is your authoritative source for expert guidance on: Strategic software patent protection Prior art searches Drafting claims Drafting the software patent specification Requirements for software patent drawings Patent Office examination guidelines International software patent protection Beta testing software inventions Integrating software patents with industry standards Invalidity defenses in software patent litigation

This essay is the introduction to a book of the same title, forthcoming in summer of 2021 from Oxford University Press. The purpose is to document the ways in which patent systems are products of battles over the economic surplus from innovation. The features of these systems take shape as interests at different points in the production chain seek advantage in any way they can, and consequently, they are riven with imperfections. The interesting historical question is why US-style patent systems with all their imperfections have come to dominate other methods of encouraging inventive activity. The essays in the book suggest that the creation of a tradable but temporary property right facilitates the transfer of technological knowledge and thus fosters a highly productive decentralized ecology of inventors and firms.

A study of how patents and citation data can serve empirical research on innovation and technological change.

Profiles more than one hundred patents granted by the U.S. Patent Office, from the internal combustion engine and the artificial heart, to the Chia Pet and the lava lamp.

Most patents are worthless. By some estimations, this could be true of 95% of patents. Startup companies don't help themselves by making fatal mistakes, from filing provisional patents (almost always a bad idea) to treating their first patent as the most important one in their portfolio (it almost never is). How can an investor help their portfolio companies navigate the system? "Investing In Patents" discusses the patent process from an investor's view, but with insider knowledge.Investment-grade patents do not just happen by chance, they are curated through due diligence prior to filing the patent, then careful and consistent management through the process. Good patents are clear, straightforward, and easy to read. Understandable patent applications are easier to examine, meaning the issued patent is legitimate and defensible. Good patents have real, solid commercial value. The value of a patent only comes when it captures commercial value - not when it captures some cool technology. BlueIron IP's business is investing in patents, and this book discusses BlueIron's techniques and tools for evaluating inventions and managing portfolios specifically for startup companies. Startup companies have specific characteristics and needs that dictate strategies that often do not apply to larger companies with established products and systems. "Investing In Patents" discusses how startups need to manage their patent process, and how investors and guide them.