LAW - 688 Patent Law

(3 hrs.)

Provides an introduction to issues of legal protection and incentives for technological innovation, focusing on the federal Patent Act, federal court decisions, Patent Office rules, and relevant provisions of international patent law treaties. Specific topics include the history and philosophic underpinnings of American patent law; why people seek patents and the economics of inventive activities; the patent application process; substantive requirements for obtaining patents; how patents are enforced; licensing of patented inventions and antitrust law considerations; and international patent protection.