What, exactly, distinguishes a patent on a software innovation from patents on other kinds of innovations? While the question may appear esoteric at first glance, it is the crucial first step in any empirical study of software patents. The policy debate over software patents - whether they...

As part of its “policy project to examine the legal and policy issues surrounding the problem of potential patent ‘hold-up’ when patented technologies are included in collaborative standards”, the Federal Trade Commission held an all-day workshop on June 21, 2011. The first panel of the...