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Difference between revisions of "An Empirical Look at Software Patents"

m (External links: * [http://ssrn.com/abstract=461701 The 2004 draft of the paper] - freely downloadable)
m (A version tagged "Working Paper" was published freely online in 2004 and is by far the most referenced version. The final version was published in 2007 but is not freely available.)
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* James E. Bessen, Research on Innovation; Boston University - School of Law
 
* James E. Bessen, Research on Innovation; Boston University - School of Law
 
* Robert M. Hunt, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
 
* Robert M. Hunt, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
 +
 +
A version tagged "Working Paper" was published freely online in 2004 and is by far the most referenced version.  The final version was published in 2007 but is not freely available.
  
 
==Interesting parts==
 
==Interesting parts==

Revision as of 16:29, 17 October 2009

An Empirical Look at Software Patents is a paper jointly published in March 2004 by:

  • James E. Bessen, Research on Innovation; Boston University - School of Law
  • Robert M. Hunt, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia

A version tagged "Working Paper" was published freely online in 2004 and is by far the most referenced version. The final version was published in 2007 but is not freely available.

Interesting parts

From the Abstract:

"[...]The very large increase in software patent propensity over time is not adequately explained by changes in R&D investments, employment of computer programmers, or productivity growth. [...] We find evidence that software patents substitute for R&D at the firm level; they are associated with lower R&D intensity[...]

Page 37 claims that the USPTO grants 70 software patents per day.

From the conclusion:

"For industries like software or computer, there is actually good reason to believe that imitation becomes a spur to innovation, while strong patents become an impediment"

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External links