Abstract
In recent years, the legal protection of intellectual property through patents has faced substantial criticism from several quarters. Patents have been questioned regarding the material scope of protection (for example, the European debate about software patentability, opposing commercial software vendors and open-source advocates); the requirements for protection (patent offices, which are largely understaffed and overworked, are accused of granting an increasing number of ‘bogus’ patents, which tend to impede innovation rather than to foster it); or the incentives for protection (in complex industries firms accumulate patents for purely defensive reasons and not as a way to secure returns on their inventions). Criticisms become even harsher when it comes to pharmaceutical patents, which are accused of restricting access to essential drugs in both developed and developing countries, and for allowing pharmaceutical firms to make ‘outrageous’ profits.
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© 2008 Paul Belleflamme
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Belleflamme, P. (2008). How Efficient is the Patent System? A General Appraisal and an Application to the Pharmaceutical Sector. In: Gosseries, A., Marciano, A., Strowel, A. (eds) Intellectual Property and Theories of Justice. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-0-230-58239-2_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-0-230-58239-2_11
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