A Generation of Software Patents

James Bessen

Working Papers from Research on Innovation

Abstract: This report examines changes in the patenting behavior of the software industry since the 1990s. It finds that most software firms still do not patent, most software patents are obtained by a few large firms in the software industry or in other industries, and the risk of litigation from software patents continues to increase dramatically. Given these findings, it is hard to conclude that software patents have provided a net social benefit in the software industry.

Keywords: patents; software; software patents; litigation; innovation; startup firms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D23 L86 O34 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ino, nep-ipr, nep-pr~ and nep-tid
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:roi:wpaper:1102

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