Patent Baristas

A special treat this week is a great podcast by Professor Richard A. Epstein, in which he offers his usual brilliant and insightful commentary on the patent system. As is to be expected, Richard packs about 3 hours of intellectual content into a 1-hour event.

To listen, please right click on the audio file you wish to hear and then select “Save Link As…” or “Save Target As…” After you save the audio file to your computer, you can then listen to it in your audio player of choice.

 Patent Rights: A Spark or Hindrance for the Economy? – MP3
Running Time: 00:54:30

Critics, including Judge Richard Posner, have argued that the patent system has led to excessive patenting, too much litigation, and unwarranted costs for consumers. Patent defenders have responded that with every spike in innovation comes a corresponding increase in the number of patent suits, and efforts to weaken patent rights will inevitably lead to less innovation.

Despite the passage of the America Invents Act,  the debate over intellectual property continues after a string of high profile patent infringement suits in the smartphone industry.

Would reduced patent rights diminish U.S. competitiveness and depress innovation? In a diversified economy, should so-called “non-practicing entities” (NPEs) have fewer patent rights than those that manufacture their inventions?

Featuring:

• Prof. Richard A. Epstein, Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Law, New York University School of Law
• Prof. Adam Mossoff, Professor of Law, George Mason University School of Law
• Moderator: Mr. Dean Reuter, Vice President & Director of Practice Groups, The Federalist Society

*via Adam Mossoff and the IP Practice Group at the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies.