Across Five Eras: Patent Validity and Infringement in United States Courts, 1929-2006

Henry, Matthew; Turner, John L.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.2274383

Across Five Eras: Patent Validity and Infringement in United States Courts, 1929-2006

44 Pages Posted: 5 Jun 2013 Last revised: 12 Apr 2016

See all articles by Matthew Henry

John L. Turner

University of Georgia - C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry College of Business - Department of Economics

Date Written: March 5, 2016

Abstract

We use structural break analysis to estimate rates of patent validity and infringement in decisions on the merits in United States Courts over 1929-2006. We separately estimate these rates for District Court and Appeals Court decisions. We find multiple structural breaks in both validity and infringement, and the breaks do not coincide. The rate of validity falls around 1939 and rises around 1983, while the rate of infringement rises around 1950 and falls around 1991. We argue that these breaks, and the variation across the implied five ``eras" of decision standards, reflect political and legal innovations.

Keywords: patents, litigation, infringement, validity

JEL Classification: K2, K4

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Henry, Matthew and Turner, John L., Across Five Eras: Patent Validity and Infringement in United States Courts, 1929-2006 (March 5, 2016). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2274383 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2274383