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Strengthening the Patent System

America's patent system is at a crossroads. There are many critics of the patent system; some have become increasingly vocal. Some claim the patent system is outdated. Others label it as a "threat to innovation." As fodder for their arguments, critics often tout examples of one or more patents that, in the words of one academic, are "not new, are obvious, are laughably insipid or sometimes all of the above" ("Patent Prescription: A radical cure for the ailing U.S. patent system," A. Jaffe and J. Lerner, IEEE Spectrum Online, Dec. 10, 2004).

20 minute read January 03, 2005 at 08:17 AM
By
Herbert C. Wamsley
Strengthening the Patent System

America's patent system is at a crossroads. There are many critics of the patent system; some have become increasingly vocal. Some claim the patent system is outdated. Others label it as a “threat to innovation.”

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