Word: patenting
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...offer the world's strongest protection of intellectual property, reinforced by more than a dozen laws passed since 1980. The most significant by far was the 1982 overhaul of the patent and trademark courts. Previously divided into 12 separate districts, each with its own interpretation of the law, they made defending inventions and creative works almost impossible. Infringers could go "forum shopping" for the most favorable court district and operate with near impunity. The reorganization ended the legal hodgepodge by creating a single Court of Appeals that has tended to favor patent holders, who now win 80% of all infringement...
...courts have increased the use of juries, which tend to side with plaintiffs and award big monetary damages. Last year a Detroit jury awarded inventor Robert Kearns a $10 million judgment against Ford for violating Kearns' patents on intermittent windshield wipers. A San Francisco jury two months ago ordered Intex Plastics to pay inventor Charles Hall $5 million in damages for violating his patent on the water...
...intellectual property becomes more valuable and secure, people naturally create more of it. Evidence: filings for patents, trademarks and copyrights are hitting record highs. Last year some 174,700 patents were filed in the U.S., a 39% jump over 1985. The number of copyrights registered soared to 643,000 last year, in contrast to 401,000 in a five-year period ending in 1975. Overseas filings are also up. In Japan the number of patent applications nearly doubled between 1980 and 1988 as that government signaled its intention to enforce property laws more strictly. After a 29-year delay, Texas...
Protecting intellectual property has become a growth industry in itself. New York City's Weil, Gotshal & Manges two years ago became the first major law firm to establish a separate group specializing in patents, trademarks and copyrights. It has some 35 intellectual-property attorneys on staff. Fish & Neave, also in New York City, runs the biggest intellectual-property practice, with some 110 attorneys specializing in the field. General Electric, America's biggest exporter and No. 1 patent holder, has added some 25 patent attorneys to its staff since 1985, for a total of 125. It still ranks second...
...time attorneys can find advice in a growing number of how-to books and videos. Accounting firms hold seminars and give private counseling. Insurance companies, such as HLPM in Louisville, are even beginning to carry policies to protect intellectual property from infringers and legal challenges by insuring a patent for up to $1 million...