The spluttering invention machine
America’s patent system has problems; a new law would fix only a few
FOR all America's anxieties about its decline as a superpower, its deficits and its weak economy, it can still be proud of its strength as an innovator. Americans make four times as many patent applications per head as Europeans. Patents spur innovation and lay the foundations for future growth, by assuring inventors that they will reap the rewards of their effort and by publicising their discoveries.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline "The spluttering invention machine"
From the March 19th 2011 edition
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