| Abstract: | The laws which govern the grant of patents for inventions are assumed to serve two useful ends. Firstly, they are conceived as an incentive to inventors to make and then disclose their inventions. Secondly they are viewed as providing an appropriate means for facilitating a division of resources between those who make inventions and those who exploit them. Both these presumed functions are examined in this article, which raises questions as to the utility of current laws in the achievement of these ends. |
