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Full-Text Articles in Law
Tailoring Patent Policy To Specific Industries, Dan L. Burk
Tailoring Patent Policy To Specific Industries, Dan L. Burk
Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review
Mr. Burk illustrates that federal courts have diverged along industry-specific paths when deciding patent cases. Burk highlights courts' disparate treatment of the biotechnology and computer software industries within the uniform patent statute. Due to industries' differing requirements for innovation and development, Professor Burk argues that the currently general patent statute and its incentive to innovate may be improved by tailoring it to specific industries. Burk creates a dialogue on what kinds of statutory schemes promote innovation. Citing the Supreme Court's statement in Diamond v. Chakrabarty that the patent statute is meant to cover anything under the sun made by man, …
High Court Takes Right Turn In Traffix, But Stops Short Of The Finish Line: An Economic Critique Of Trade Dress Protection For Product Configuration, Timothy M. Barber
High Court Takes Right Turn In Traffix, But Stops Short Of The Finish Line: An Economic Critique Of Trade Dress Protection For Product Configuration, Timothy M. Barber
Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review
Mr. Barber examines the Supreme Court's recent treatment of trade dress protection for product configuration, also referred to as product design. Although the Wal-Mart and TrafFix decisions have begun to limit product configuration protection under trademark law, the high court should have gone further and eliminated product configuration protection, due to its monopolistic and anti-competitive effects. The Comment explores the history and effectiveness of the functionality doctrine, which attempts to resolve the conflict between patent and trademark law over protecting useful product designs. Since what constitutes a functional feature is not easily discerned, the doctrine fails to prevent firms from …