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Institutional Choice & Interest Groups In The Development Of American Patent Law: 1790-1865, Andrew Morriss, Craig Nard
Institutional Choice & Interest Groups In The Development Of American Patent Law: 1790-1865, Andrew Morriss, Craig Nard
Andrew P. Morriss
This paper analyzes the evolution of U.S. patent law between the first patent act in 1790 and 1870, the passage of the last major patent act of the nineteenth century. During most of the nineteenth century, patent law developed in the courts, and instrumental to this development were a relatively small patent bar, a subset of the judiciary, and several repeat parties who played a role in a significant proportion of patent cases. Yet at several junctures, most importantly with the major changes introduced in 1836, but also through minor statutory changes throughout the nineteenth century, Congress intervened to alter …
Constitutionalizing Patents: From Venice To Philadelphia, Craig Allen Nard, Andrew P. Morriss
Constitutionalizing Patents: From Venice To Philadelphia, Craig Allen Nard, Andrew P. Morriss
Andrew P. Morriss
Patent law today is a complex institution in most developed economies and the appropriate structure for patent law is hotly debated around the world. Despite their differences, one crucial feature is shared by the diverse patent systems of the industrialized world even before the recent trend toward harmonization: modern patent regimes include self-imposed restrictions of executive and legislative discretion, which we refer to as "constitutionalized" systems. Given the lucrative nature of patent monopolies, the long history of granting patents as a form of patronage, and the aggressive pursuit of patronage in most societies, the choice to confine patents within a …
Constitutionalizing Patents: From Venice To Philadelphia, Craig Allen Nard, Andrew P. Morriss
Constitutionalizing Patents: From Venice To Philadelphia, Craig Allen Nard, Andrew P. Morriss
Andrew P. Morriss
Patent law today is a complex institution in most developed economies and the appropriate structure for patent law is hotly debated around the world. Despite their differences, one crucial feature is shared by the diverse patent systems of the industrialized world even before the recent trend toward harmonization: modern patent regimes include self-imposed restrictions of executive and legislative discretion, which we refer to as "constitutionalized" systems. Given the lucrative nature of patent monopolies, the long history of granting patents as a form of patronage, and the aggressive pursuit of patronage in most societies, the choice to confine patents within a …