The United States Patent Reform Quagmire: A Balanced Proposal
28 Pages Posted: 21 Aug 2006
Abstract
This paper reviews Innovation and Its Discontents: How Our Patent System Is Endangering Innovation and Progress, and What To Do About It. The debate concerning patent reform has produced proposals from law professors, economists, the Federal Trade Commission, the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the National Academy of Sciences. In Innovation and Its Discontents, economists Adam Jaffe and Josh Lerner rely upon over two decades of research concerning innovation policy to paint a picture of the problem raised by the current United States patent system and offer balanced proposals for reform. Their ambitious analysis of the problem as well as their proposals for reform are thoughtful and clear. While some may disagree at the margins with the characterization of the problem as well as the proposals for reform, the work advances understanding the issue of United States patent reform.
Keywords: Patent, Reform, Innovation
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