Software Patents, Incumbents, and Entry

Software patents have been controversial since the days when "software" referred to the crude programs that came free with an IBM mainframe. This Article examines the relation between patents and the different business models used by firms in the software industry. The role of patents has...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Texas law review 2007-06, Vol.85 (7), p.1579
Main Authors: Allison, John R, Dunn, Abe, Mann, Ronald J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Business models
Competition
Incumbency
Intellectual property
Inventors
Law
Litigation
Market positioning
Product lines
R&D
Reforms
Research & development
Research & development expenditures
Software industry
Studies
Supreme Court decisions
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
cited_by
cites
container_end_page
container_issue 7
container_start_page 1579
container_title Texas law review
container_volume 85
creator Allison, John R
Dunn, Abe
Mann, Ronald J
description Software patents have been controversial since the days when "software" referred to the crude programs that came free with an IBM mainframe. This Article examines the relation between patents and the different business models used by firms in the software industry. The role of patents has changed dramatically from the mid-1960s to the present. In the mid-1960s, patents only had value for firms hoping to challenge IBM's dominance in the production of computers and software. By the twenty-first century, in contrast, the industry has matured into a complex pattern, with at least four distinct groups, each with a different relation to the patent system. Another important area likely to see reform is the topic of patent quality. The most prominent topic for debate has been the need for litigation reform. Limitations on the availability of injunctive relief have appeared in recent patent reform bills and were urged upon the Supreme Court in eBay Inc v. MercExchange LLC.
format article
fullrecord <record><control><sourceid>proquest</sourceid><recordid>TN_cdi_proquest_journals_203707097</recordid><sourceformat>XML</sourceformat><sourcesystem>PC</sourcesystem><sourcerecordid>1331548191</sourcerecordid><originalsourceid>FETCH-LOGICAL-p182t-cc48d00596b77fc3933128fbedd925cf3dc8e0bcf6788f8fc70887017befc84a3</originalsourceid><addsrcrecordid>eNotjctKAzEUQENR6Nj6D4MbNwZuHtN7s5RSbaFQQYXuSp6Lopk6ySD-vYV2dc7qnAlrhNGSU4f7G9YAaOBaCzFld6UcAaBD0zXs8b1P9dcOsX2zNeZantpN9uO3u7jNoV3lOvzN2W2yXyXeXzljny-rj-Wab3evm-Xzlp8Eycq91xTObbNwiMkro5SQlFwMwcjOJxU8RXA-LZAoUfIIRAgCXUyetFUz9nDpnob-Z4ylHo79OOTz8iBBISAYVP_zuz0P</addsrcrecordid><sourcetype>Aggregation Database</sourcetype><iscdi>true</iscdi><recordtype>article</recordtype><pqid>203707097</pqid></control><display><type>article</type><title>Software Patents, Incumbents, and Entry</title><source>EBSCOhost Business Source Ultimate</source><source>Nexis UK</source><source>ABI/INFORM Global</source><creator>Allison, John R ; Dunn, Abe ; Mann, Ronald J</creator><creatorcontrib>Allison, John R ; Dunn, Abe ; Mann, Ronald J</creatorcontrib><description>Software patents have been controversial since the days when "software" referred to the crude programs that came free with an IBM mainframe. This Article examines the relation between patents and the different business models used by firms in the software industry. The role of patents has changed dramatically from the mid-1960s to the present. In the mid-1960s, patents only had value for firms hoping to challenge IBM's dominance in the production of computers and software. By the twenty-first century, in contrast, the industry has matured into a complex pattern, with at least four distinct groups, each with a different relation to the patent system. Another important area likely to see reform is the topic of patent quality. The most prominent topic for debate has been the need for litigation reform. Limitations on the availability of injunctive relief have appeared in recent patent reform bills and were urged upon the Supreme Court in eBay Inc v. MercExchange LLC.</description><identifier>ISSN: 0040-4411</identifier><identifier>EISSN: 1942-857X</identifier><identifier>CODEN: TXLRA2</identifier><language>eng</language><publisher>Austin: University of Texas, Austin, School of Law Publications, Inc</publisher><subject>Business models ; Competition ; Incumbency ; Intellectual property ; Inventors ; Law ; Litigation ; Market positioning ; Product lines ; R&amp;D ; Reforms ; Research &amp; development ; Research &amp; development expenditures ; Software industry ; Studies ; Supreme Court decisions</subject><ispartof>Texas law review, 2007-06, Vol.85 (7), p.1579</ispartof><rights>Copyright University of Texas, Austin, School of Law Publications, Inc. Jun 2007</rights><lds50>peer_reviewed</lds50><woscitedreferencessubscribed>false</woscitedreferencessubscribed></display><links><openurl>$$Topenurl_article</openurl><openurlfulltext>$$Topenurlfull_article</openurlfulltext><thumbnail>$$Tsyndetics_thumb_exl</thumbnail><linktohtml>$$Uhttps://www.proquest.com/docview/203707097?pq-origsite=primo$$EHTML$$P50$$Gproquest$$H</linktohtml><link.rule.ids>314,780,784,11688,36060,44363</link.rule.ids></links><search><creatorcontrib>Allison, John R</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Dunn, Abe</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Mann, Ronald J</creatorcontrib><title>Software Patents, Incumbents, and Entry</title><title>Texas law review</title><description>Software patents have been controversial since the days when "software" referred to the crude programs that came free with an IBM mainframe. This Article examines the relation between patents and the different business models used by firms in the software industry. The role of patents has changed dramatically from the mid-1960s to the present. In the mid-1960s, patents only had value for firms hoping to challenge IBM's dominance in the production of computers and software. By the twenty-first century, in contrast, the industry has matured into a complex pattern, with at least four distinct groups, each with a different relation to the patent system. Another important area likely to see reform is the topic of patent quality. The most prominent topic for debate has been the need for litigation reform. Limitations on the availability of injunctive relief have appeared in recent patent reform bills and were urged upon the Supreme Court in eBay Inc v. MercExchange LLC.</description><subject>Business models</subject><subject>Competition</subject><subject>Incumbency</subject><subject>Intellectual property</subject><subject>Inventors</subject><subject>Law</subject><subject>Litigation</subject><subject>Market positioning</subject><subject>Product lines</subject><subject>R&amp;D</subject><subject>Reforms</subject><subject>Research &amp; development</subject><subject>Research &amp; development expenditures</subject><subject>Software industry</subject><subject>Studies</subject><subject>Supreme Court decisions</subject><issn>0040-4411</issn><issn>1942-857X</issn><fulltext>true</fulltext><rsrctype>article</rsrctype><creationdate>2007</creationdate><recordtype>article</recordtype><sourceid>M0C</sourceid><recordid>eNotjctKAzEUQENR6Nj6D4MbNwZuHtN7s5RSbaFQQYXuSp6Lopk6ySD-vYV2dc7qnAlrhNGSU4f7G9YAaOBaCzFld6UcAaBD0zXs8b1P9dcOsX2zNeZantpN9uO3u7jNoV3lOvzN2W2yXyXeXzljny-rj-Wab3evm-Xzlp8Eycq91xTObbNwiMkro5SQlFwMwcjOJxU8RXA-LZAoUfIIRAgCXUyetFUz9nDpnob-Z4ylHo79OOTz8iBBISAYVP_zuz0P</recordid><startdate>20070601</startdate><enddate>20070601</enddate><creator>Allison, John R</creator><creator>Dunn, Abe</creator><creator>Mann, Ronald J</creator><general>University of Texas, Austin, School of Law Publications, Inc</general><scope>0U~</scope><scope>1-H</scope><scope>3V.</scope><scope>4T-</scope><scope>7WY</scope><scope>7WZ</scope><scope>7XB</scope><scope>87Z</scope><scope>8AO</scope><scope>8FK</scope><scope>8FL</scope><scope>8G5</scope><scope>ABUWG</scope><scope>AFKRA</scope><scope>AZQEC</scope><scope>BENPR</scope><scope>BEZIV</scope><scope>CCPQU</scope><scope>DWQXO</scope><scope>FRNLG</scope><scope>F~G</scope><scope>GNUQQ</scope><scope>GUQSH</scope><scope>K60</scope><scope>K6~</scope><scope>L.-</scope><scope>L.0</scope><scope>M0C</scope><scope>M2O</scope><scope>MBDVC</scope><scope>PQBIZ</scope><scope>PQBZA</scope><scope>PQEST</scope><scope>PQQKQ</scope><scope>PQUKI</scope><scope>PRINS</scope><scope>Q9U</scope><scope>S0X</scope></search><sort><creationdate>20070601</creationdate><title>Software Patents, Incumbents, and Entry</title><author>Allison, John R ; Dunn, Abe ; Mann, Ronald J</author></sort><facets><frbrtype>5</frbrtype><frbrgroupid>cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-p182t-cc48d00596b77fc3933128fbedd925cf3dc8e0bcf6788f8fc70887017befc84a3</frbrgroupid><rsrctype>articles</rsrctype><prefilter>articles</prefilter><language>eng</language><creationdate>2007</creationdate><topic>Business models</topic><topic>Competition</topic><topic>Incumbency</topic><topic>Intellectual property</topic><topic>Inventors</topic><topic>Law</topic><topic>Litigation</topic><topic>Market positioning</topic><topic>Product lines</topic><topic>R&amp;D</topic><topic>Reforms</topic><topic>Research &amp; development</topic><topic>Research &amp; development expenditures</topic><topic>Software industry</topic><topic>Studies</topic><topic>Supreme Court decisions</topic><toplevel>peer_reviewed</toplevel><toplevel>online_resources</toplevel><creatorcontrib>Allison, John R</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Dunn, Abe</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Mann, Ronald J</creatorcontrib><collection>Global News &amp; ABI/Inform Professional</collection><collection>Trade PRO</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Corporate)</collection><collection>Docstoc</collection><collection>ABI/INFORM Collection</collection><collection>ABI/INFORM Global (PDF only)</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (purchase pre-March 2016)</collection><collection>ABI/INFORM Global (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>ProQuest Pharma Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Alumni) (purchase pre-March 2016)</collection><collection>ABI/INFORM Collection (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>Research Library (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Alumni)</collection><collection>ProQuest Central</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Essentials</collection><collection>ProQuest Central</collection><collection>Business Premium Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest One Community College</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Korea</collection><collection>Business Premium Collection (Alumni)</collection><collection>ABI/INFORM Global (Corporate)</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Student</collection><collection>Research Library Prep</collection><collection>ProQuest Business Collection (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>ProQuest Business Collection</collection><collection>ABI/INFORM Professional Advanced</collection><collection>ABI/INFORM Professional Standard</collection><collection>ABI/INFORM Global</collection><collection>ProQuest research library</collection><collection>Research Library (Corporate)</collection><collection>ProQuest One Business</collection><collection>ProQuest One Business (Alumni)</collection><collection>ProQuest One Academic Eastern Edition (DO NOT USE)</collection><collection>ProQuest One Academic</collection><collection>ProQuest One Academic UKI Edition</collection><collection>ProQuest Central China</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Basic</collection><collection>SIRS Editorial</collection><jtitle>Texas law review</jtitle></facets><delivery><delcategory>Remote Search Resource</delcategory><fulltext>fulltext</fulltext></delivery><addata><au>Allison, John R</au><au>Dunn, Abe</au><au>Mann, Ronald J</au><format>journal</format><genre>article</genre><ristype>JOUR</ristype><atitle>Software Patents, Incumbents, and Entry</atitle><jtitle>Texas law review</jtitle><date>2007-06-01</date><risdate>2007</risdate><volume>85</volume><issue>7</issue><spage>1579</spage><pages>1579-</pages><issn>0040-4411</issn><eissn>1942-857X</eissn><coden>TXLRA2</coden><abstract>Software patents have been controversial since the days when "software" referred to the crude programs that came free with an IBM mainframe. This Article examines the relation between patents and the different business models used by firms in the software industry. The role of patents has changed dramatically from the mid-1960s to the present. In the mid-1960s, patents only had value for firms hoping to challenge IBM's dominance in the production of computers and software. By the twenty-first century, in contrast, the industry has matured into a complex pattern, with at least four distinct groups, each with a different relation to the patent system. Another important area likely to see reform is the topic of patent quality. The most prominent topic for debate has been the need for litigation reform. Limitations on the availability of injunctive relief have appeared in recent patent reform bills and were urged upon the Supreme Court in eBay Inc v. MercExchange LLC.</abstract><cop>Austin</cop><pub>University of Texas, Austin, School of Law Publications, Inc</pub></addata></record>
fulltext fulltext
identifier ISSN: 0040-4411
ispartof Texas law review, 2007-06, Vol.85 (7), p.1579
issn 0040-4411
1942-857X
language eng
recordid cdi_proquest_journals_203707097
source EBSCOhost Business Source Ultimate; Nexis UK; ABI/INFORM Global
subjects Business models
Competition
Incumbency
Intellectual property
Inventors
Law
Litigation
Market positioning
Product lines
R&D
Reforms
Research & development
Research & development expenditures
Software industry
Studies
Supreme Court decisions
title Software Patents, Incumbents, and Entry
url http://sfxeu10.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/loughborough?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_tim=2024-12-29T19%3A37%3A53IST&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=infofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com:primo3-Article-proquest&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Software%20Patents,%20Incumbents,%20and%20Entry&rft.jtitle=Texas%20law%20review&rft.au=Allison,%20John%20R&rft.date=2007-06-01&rft.volume=85&rft.issue=7&rft.spage=1579&rft.pages=1579-&rft.issn=0040-4411&rft.eissn=1942-857X&rft.coden=TXLRA2&rft_id=info:doi/&rft_dat=%3Cproquest%3E1331548191%3C/proquest%3E%3Cgrp_id%3Ecdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-p182t-cc48d00596b77fc3933128fbedd925cf3dc8e0bcf6788f8fc70887017befc84a3%3C/grp_id%3E%3Coa%3E%3C/oa%3E%3Curl%3E%3C/url%3E&rft_id=info:oai/&rft_pqid=203707097&rft_id=info:pmid/&rfr_iscdi=true