In the last decade and a half patent quality has been at the forefront of debates about patent policy. Industry professionals of all sorts (patent holders, legal practitioners, implementers, policymakers, and academics) seem to agree about the importance of patent quality, but often the consensus stops there. It’s no wonder, because the term ”patent quality” […]
System
Patent Value, Uncertainty, and the Debate about Patent Quality
When I was the Chief Economist at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), I sometimes encountered people who were surprised to know that I existed. Well, not me as an individual, but the role of Chief Economist. Why does the USPTO have economists? Now, many of these individuals were Congressional staffer-types on their fourth […]