Law Commons^™

Competitive Patent Law, William Hubbard

All Faculty Scholarship

Can U.S. patent law help American businesses compete in global markets? In early 2011, President Barack Obama argued that, to obtain economic prosperity, the United States must "out-innovate . .. the rest of the world,"¹ and that patent reform is a "critical dimension[]" ² of this innovation agenda. Soon thereafter, Congress enacted the most sweeping reforms to U.S. patent law in more than half a century, contending that the changes will "give American inventors and innovators the 21st century patent system they need to compete."³ Surprisingly, no legal scholar has assessed whether patent reform is capable of making …

Workplace Reform In A Jobless Recovery, Marcia L. Mccormick

All Faculty Scholarship

In 2012, the United States was recovering from a recession and policy makers were debating how to solve the country’s economy. This essay looks at the labor and employment reforms (or lack thereof) of President Obama’s first term, and the differing views of the role of government in creating jobs. The article challenges us to think beyond the two solutions commonly discussed: de-regulation and a “New Deal” program.

There are ways current lawmakers could come together to help protect jobs. Some of the solutions offered by the article include using automatic contribution plans, promoting part-time work, and giving employees more …

The Demise Of Development In The Doha Round Negotiations, Sungjoon Cho

All Faculty Scholarship

This article provides a concise history of the Doha Round negotiation, analyzes its deadlock, and offers some suggestions for a successful Doha deal and for developing countries. The article observes that the nearly decade-long negotiation stalemate is symptomatic of diametrically opposed perceptions of the nature of the Round between developed and developing countries. While developed countries appear to be increasingly oblivious to Doha’s original genesis, developing countries vehemently condemn their narrow commercial focus in the Doha Round talks. It will not be easy to untie this Gordian knot since both developed and developing countries tend to think that no deal …

New Forces Chip Away At Agencies' Policy Of Antitrust Abandonment, Joe Sims, Robert H. Lande

All Faculty Scholarship

Antitrust is at a crossroads. the federal agencies are dominated by the economic approach of the Chicago school, but congress and the states are expressing sharp dissent.

Reducing Unions' Monopoly Power: Costs And Benefits, Robert H. Lande, Richard O. Zerbe Jr.

All Faculty Scholarship

There is a fundamental conflict between labor law and antitrust law. The antitrust laws reflect the powerful idea that competition should usually dictate the way our economy is organized, to the benefit of the economy as a whole, including workers. But the labor exemption to the antitrust laws suggests a different policy: workers should have the right to eliminate competition for wages, hours, and working conditions.