Cardozo Public Law, Policy and Ethics Journal
Abstract
The article argues that the nonobviousness requirement under 35 U.S.C. §103 is overly subjective and unpredictable, undermining the patent system's effectiveness. It contends that this indeterminacy discourages innovation and allows monopolies on minor improvements. The author proposes two reforms to enhance objectivity and consistency: a public database of nonobviousness decisions and treating prior art as a constructive specification for patent claims.
Disciplines
Intellectual Property Law | Law
Recommended Citation
Benjamin H. Graf,
Prognosis Indeterminable: How Patent Non-Obviousness Outcomes Depend Too Much on Decision-Makers,
9
Cardozo Pub. L. Pol’y & Ethics J.
567
(2011).
Available at:
https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/cplpej/vol9/iss3/4