Patent Law

This is an introductory course in patent law and patent strategy. Although the readings will at times cover technical areas, no technical background is required or even helpful.  Instead, our focus will be on the legal, policy, and strategic issues raised by modern patent practice.  The course will begin with possibly familiar background material about what inventions qualify for protection and how an applicant requests coverage.  Then the course will expand to look at procedural and evidentiary issues, as well as the precise nature of patent remedies.  Final classes play with policy, economics, and empirical evidence about how the patent system works and what could be changed to make the system better.