Editor’s Note
You may notice some changes in this issue of TIIP (this is why we missed our Spring issue): We now appear in a blog format (the “newsletter” consists of the next 5 posts) with comments and RSS feed. Also, we have a new editor. This issue was co-edited by Rita Heimes and James Bessen. Rita is the Director of the Center for Law and Innovation at the University of Maine Law School. Jim (at Boston University School of Law and Research on Innovation) was the former editor.
Also, we have changed our editorial mix slightly. In addition to our summaries of individual research papers, we now include some articles that provide overviews of research topics covering more than individual papers. And we introduce a new feature, “What does the research say?” In this column, one researcher presents a brief overview of research relevant to a current policy topic.
Matthew Henry and John Turner look at trial outcomes in patent lawsuits and find the strongest evidence to date on how the courts in the US have changed standards for patent validity.
James Bessen and Michael Meurer look at firms’ risks of patent litigation, both as plaintiffs and defendants. They find that both rose sharply during the 90s, which cannot be explained by patenting rates or R&D spending. This increase places a burden on small firms in particular.