@article{42091,
      author = {Lemley, Mark A. and Burk, Dan L.},
      url = {http://tind.wipo.int/record/42091},
      title = {Policy Levers in Patent Law},
      abstract = {The patent statute creates a general set of legal rules  that govern a wide variety of technologies. With only a few  exceptions, the statute does not distinguish between  different technologies in setting and applying legal  standards. In theory, then, we have a uniform patent system  that provides technology-neutral protection to all kinds of  innovation. Technology, however, is anything but uniform,  and displays highly diverse characteristics across  different sectors. A wealth of empirical evidence  demonstrates deep structural differences in how industries  innovate. Industries vary in the speed and cost of Research  and Development ("R&D"), in the ease with which inventions  can be imitated by others, in the need for cumulative or  interoperative innovation rather than stand-alone  development, and in the extent to which patents cover  entire products or merely components of products. We show  that there is no reason to assume that a unitary patent  system will optimally encourage innovation in the wide  range of diverse industries that it is expected to cover.},
      recid = {42091},
      pages = {122 pages},
}