Description: Perspectives on Patentable Subject Matter brings together leading scholars to offer diverse perspectives on one of the most pressing issues in patent law: the basic question about which types of subject matter are even eligible for patent protection, setting aside the widely known requirement that a claimed invention avoid the prior art and be adequately disclosed. Some leading commentators and policy-making bodies and individuals envision patentable subject matter to include anything under the sun made by humans, whereas other leaders envision a range of restrictions for particular fields of endeavor, from business methods and computer software to matters involving life, such as DNA and methods for screening or treating disease. Employing approaches that are both theoretically rigorous and grounded in the real world, this book is well suited for practicing lawyers, managers, lawmakers, and analysts, as well as academics conducting research or teaching a range of courses in law schools, business schools, public policy schools, and in economics and political science departments, at either the undergraduate or graduate level.
Brief description: James E. Daily is Postdoctoral Research Associate for, and Administrative Director of, the Hoover Project on Commercializing Innovation. An attorney licensed in Missouri and a patent agent registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, his research interests include open source models of innovation, the role of open source in the marketplace, and the interactions between open source and intellectual property. He is also the creator and coauthor of the blog 'Law and the Multiverse' and the co-author of the book The Law of Superheroes (with Ryan M. Davidson, 2012).