Law Professor: Changes to Patent System May Hurt Small Companies
March 8, 2013
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Changes to the nation's patent system, currently known as "first to invent," may make it more difficult and expensive for small companies to adapt, according to University of Baltimore School of Law Professor Max Oppenheimer. In an interview in the March 8 edition of the Baltimore Business Journal, Oppenheimer and other patent law experts said that modifications coming March 16 via the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act will favor quick patent filings for inventions, and potentially create hurdles for those who seek to defend their patents.
"Small companies don't have the same resources as larger companies, which is going to make it difficult," Oppenheimer told the newspaper. "Also, you don't have to hire a lawyer to file a patent, but you take a risk if you haven't done everything to protect yourself."
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Oppenheimer's UB School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper on this topic, "Four Things Every Inventor Should Do by March 15," is now in the national top 10 for scholarship in entrepreneurship on the Social Sciences Research Network. Check out the abstract.