Patent Wars: New Age Competition

PATENT WARS Patents were made to encourage innovation. However, some say the current patent wars are preventing innovation as more and more money is spent on patents and related lawsuits instead of research and design. A New Age of Competition THE INVENTION OF PATENTS patent must be new, useful and non-obvious. In 1623, England declared that In 500 BC, the In 1790, the first Created in 1791, the modern French A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by the government to an inventor for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention. The procedure, requirements, and the extent of exclusive rights have varied over time and place. patent was granted to Samuel Hopkins for a method of producing "potash," an ingredient used in making gunpowder. ancient Greek city of Sybaris (now in patents could be granted for "projects of new invention." Later, a written description of the invention was required. patent system would grant inventors patents without examinations. Italy) awarded those who created refinements in luxury. The patent for the telephone is considered to be the most valuable patent ever granted. 2 APPLICATION PROCESS The application must meet the patentability requirements. If requirements are not met, the applicant is given a chance to respond. 5 Once granted, the patent is subject to fees. An invention is created. 3 The application is filed with a "patent pending" status. Patent protection lasts around 20 years 2 PROS CONS The inventor files a written application, which contains a description of how to make and use the invention. A claim to the exclusive right the applicant wants may also be included. PROS AND CONS o Costs are expensive O Keep others out of the market O Market yourself o Liability o Restrict competitors Every potential patent owner should consider if the patent is O Encourage inventors to share their ideas o May interfere with innovation O Make money going to be more valuable than the cost of preparing and filing it. When applying for a patent, pros and cons should be evaluated in order to make an informed decision. O They've been called "a restraint of trade" O Research and design O Retain the right to practice invention investments are more efficient O Give your product credibility PATENTS APPLIED (per year) - PATENT APPLICATIONS --- PATENT GRANTS 207,867 164,795 123,958 90,643 72,343 64,445 62,098 63,874 Utility Patent, U.S. Origin 85,068 107,792 74,637 182,866 47,072 46,715 37,355 39,555 47,391 55,739 131,131 73,915 88,419 53,132 30,832 36,569 42,231 11,822 Utility Patent, Foreign Origin 72,426 69,169 17,357 25,285 24,464 32,106 42,974 45,680 29,059 25,553 18,292 15,409 9,551 11,288 22,799 15,996 6,292 7,830 17,413 12,951 Design Patent 11,712 3,214 4,282 3,949 5,066 8,024 1.222 992 797 418 452 188 150 220 231 Plant Patent 548 716 981 52 150 117 242 318 387 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010