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Patent Continuations, Product Lifecycle Contraction And The Patent Scope Erosion. – A New Insight Into Patenting Trends., Ron D. Katznelson

Ron D. Katznelson

This study was initiated in order to provide more factual insight into the recent debates on patent reforms in general and more particularly, the practice of patent continuations in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). Several important trends that have not been previously quantified are brought to light. A quantitative analysis of various components of the flow of patent applications to the USPTO was carried out and insight into the ever-increasing propensity of patentees to file patent applications is presented. It is shown that with the exception of isolated transients due to patent law changes, the growth trend …