Abstract
This reviewer has to admit that he initially approached Bessen and Meurer, Patent Failure – How Judges, Bureaucrats, and Lawyers Put Innovators at Risk, with a degree of trepidation. Spurred on by the sensationalist title and the moody (oh-so clichéd) picture of a shattered light bulb that adorns the front cover, he was expecting tales of woe. He anticipated discussion of patents on peanut-butter-jelly sandwiches,1 methods of exercising cats2 and perhaps even swinging on a swing,3 to illustrate how the US patent system is going to Hell in a hand-basket. What he got, however, was a far more considered, nuanced, and all-round robust enterprise. Indeed, as the authors themselves point out: ‘while stories about frivolous patents and frivolous lawsuits are troubling … better evidence is needed to guide patent reform’.4 As a consequence, Bessen and Meurer's book aims to move ‘beyond mere anecdote to provide the first comprehensive empirical evaluation of the patent system's performance’, comparing patents against a ‘simple, well-defined yardstick inspired by economic analysis of property rights’.5
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
