Patent Law: Legal & Economic Principles is the first book to apply economic analysis to the general set of patent rules. It clarifies patent law, explains its economic goals and discusses how the doctrines of the law contribute to those goals. This title also: • Describes how Congress, the Supreme Court, and the lower federal courts throughout the history of the patent law have developed major doctrines of the law • Points out apparent inadequacies in past decisions • Provides direct assistance in the area where patent law demands economic analysis • Discusses economic theories that the courts have applied from time to time to explain and develop patent law • Surveys how a law and economics approach has led to important developments in antitrust and other areas A table of cases is included.