277W – Patent Law

Class Meeting Time:
TuTh 11:20 – 12:35 PM in Room 140

Instructor:
Robert P. Merges
438 Law Building (North Addition)
510-643-6199
rmerges@law.berkeley.edu        

Office Hours:
Tuesdays, 2:00 – 3:15 PM; or by appointment    

This course will cover the core concepts of U.S. patent law with special focus on the issues of patent reform that have been raised over the past few years. Using the perspective of an inventor or entrepreneur, we will examine how patents are used as a business tool to commercialize new technologies and innovations. We will also consider fundamental policy questions about the current patent system such as whether it favors big institutions over independent inventors or start-ups and whether it inhibits scientific research and access to medicines.                          

Required Reading:
Merges & Duffy, Patent Law & Policy (5th ed. 2011) (M&D)
Merges et al., IP in the New Technological Age, Case and Statutory Supplement (2011) (Stat. Supp.)

Syllabus PDF