2007-05-10 The missing link

My approach to IP, so far, has been from a legal perspective, focused on procedural matters, case law and international treaties. This book excellently completes my knowledge of the patent world by centering on the issue of how changes in legal requirements (procedural or substantive) affect the users of the system and their propensity (or not) to protect their inventions with patents. In other words, the focus is on patents as economic tools, rather than byproducts of legislation.
The book is also extremely valuable because it comprises a number of very interesting studies: finally hard-figures are available, not only anedctodal evidence! The quantitative evidence refers, for instance, to comparative analysis of costs, patenting behaviours, application complexity evolution.
In conclusion, the book is also impressive as it looks at patents from a European perspective (usually, this type of publications are based on US studies and cases only!).