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64 Cath. U. L. Rev. 419 (2015)
Texas A&M University School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 16-49
49 Pages Posted: 23 Apr 2014 Last revised: 16 Oct 2016
Date Written: April 22, 2014
Abstract
This article presents a comprehensive empirical description of the public domain of technologies that have recently passed out of patent protection. From a new dataset of over 300,000 patents that expired during 2008–2012, the study examines technological, geographical, and procedural traits of newly public inventions as a basis for exploring the social value associated with their competitive use. Moreover, comparing these inventions to inventions newly patented during the same period enables more specific discussion of how the balance of innovation in the United States continues to change.
Keywords: patents, innovation, public domain, empirical
JEL Classification: O33, O34, D23, D63
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Duke University School of Law
Durham, NC
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