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Full-Text Articles in Law
Telemedicine And Malpractice: Creating Uniformity At The National Level, Tyler D. Wolf
Telemedicine And Malpractice: Creating Uniformity At The National Level, Tyler D. Wolf
William & Mary Law Review
Picture this: an elderly gentleman living alone, isolated in a rural, midwestern locale. One day, this elderly gentleman awakes to find a distinct rash forming on his chest. The nearest doctor capable of performing an examination is located over a hundred miles away, and this man has not driven more than ten miles in twenty years. Shambling into his living room, the elderly man logs onto his computer and begins typing. Within twenty minutes he is videoconferencing with a doctor who examines the rash remotely and makes a diagnosis.
Through advances in telemedicine, the scenario described above is becoming an …
Nonexcludable Surgical Method Patents, Jonas Anderson
Nonexcludable Surgical Method Patents, Jonas Anderson
William & Mary Law Review
A patent consists of only one right: the right to exclude others from practicing the patented invention. However, one class of patents statutorily lacks the right to exclude direct infringers: surgical method patents are not enforceable against medical practitioners or health care facilities, which are the only realistic potential direct infringers of such patents. Despite this, inventors regularly file for (and receive) surgical method patents. Why would anyone incur the expense (more than $20,000 on average) of acquiring a patent on a surgical method if that patent cannot be used to keep people from using the patent?
The traditional answer …