Q&A: Experts discuss the inequity problem with patents

Patents and the protection of inventor rights have occupied a key place in American law and policy since the earliest days of the country. When the United States Constitution was ratified in 1788, it included what's now known as the Intellectual Property Clause, and for centuries the ostensible driver of patent law has been to foster innovation. But what happens when inequities in patent law and standard industry practices impede that fundamental purpose?