The Secret Circuit
The Little-Known Court Where the Rules of the Information Age Unfold
Published on 10. August 2007
Book
Paperback/Softback
416 pages
978-0-7425-5281-4 (ISBN)
Description
Imagine a high impact, low profile, nonpartisan government institution located across the street from the White House. Imagine that it plays a central role in shaping our technology industries, in overseeing globalization, and in holding the federal government responsible for its commercial activities. Imagine that only Congress and the Supreme Court can correct its mistakes.
Such an institution exists. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit was born in the early 1980s as part of the drive to liberalize and reinvigorate the American economy. Over the past twenty-five years, it has earned its nickname as the "patent court" by revolutionizing American patent law, but it also oversees international trade law and government business law. Taken together, its docket covers the rules guiding innovation, globalization, and much of government.
Are these rules impelling the economy forward or holding it back? Are the policies we have the policies we want? How are we faring, as the economy transitions from the industrial age to the information age? What responsibility does the Federal Circuit bear in shaping America's current economic policies in these three critical areas? The Secret Circuit demystifies this Court's work and answers these questions.
Such an institution exists. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit was born in the early 1980s as part of the drive to liberalize and reinvigorate the American economy. Over the past twenty-five years, it has earned its nickname as the "patent court" by revolutionizing American patent law, but it also oversees international trade law and government business law. Taken together, its docket covers the rules guiding innovation, globalization, and much of government.
Are these rules impelling the economy forward or holding it back? Are the policies we have the policies we want? How are we faring, as the economy transitions from the industrial age to the information age? What responsibility does the Federal Circuit bear in shaping America's current economic policies in these three critical areas? The Secret Circuit demystifies this Court's work and answers these questions.
Reviews / Votes
The Federal Circuit-the nation's patent court of appeals-is at center stage of current controversies over U.S. patent law. Bruce Abramson's new book is an authoritative study of the court, remarkable for the lucidity with which it describes highly technical legal and scientific issues, and critical but fair-minded. -- Richard A. Posner, U.S. Circuit Judge Abramson has produced a provocative look at a Court who's power is far greater than most realize. In doing so, he has brought to life the Federal Circuit's rich history, its jurisprudential successes and failures, and the very real challenges facing what is perhaps the most important legal body in the modern U.S. economy. -- R. Polk Wagner, University of Pennsylvania Law School ..."The Secret Circuit" serves as an excellent primer on the last time the law was revised while also providing some good analysis on the effectiveness of America's patent system in achieving economic growth. -- Joshua Spivak, December 2007 In this remarkable book, Bruce Abramson provides a lively tutorial to our entire legal system, through the lens of a little-known, but highly important court in the United States that determines the validity of patents and regulates international trade. It is a tour de force which should be widely read. -- Robert Litan, Vice President for Research and Policy, Kauffman Foundation, and Senior Fellow in Economic Studies, Brookings InstitutionMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
682 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7425-5281-4 (9780742552814)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Bruce D. Abramson
The Secret Circuit
The Little-Known Court Where the Rules of the Information Age Unfold
E-Book
08/2007
1st Edition
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
€55.99
Available for download
Bruce D. Abramson
The Secret Circuit
The Little-Known Court Where the Rules of the Information Age Unfold
E-Book
08/2007
1st Edition
Bloomsbury eBooks US
€55.99
Available for download
Person
Bruce D. Abramson received his Ph.D. from Columbia and his J.D. from Georgetown. He is the President of Informationism, Inc., a San Francisco-based consultancy that helps an international clientele understand the law, the policies, the economics, and the strategic uses of intellectual property. He has served as a member of the Computer Science faculty at the University of Southern California and as a law clerk at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He is the author of Digital Phoenix: Why the Information Economy Collapsed and How It Will Rise Again (MIT Press, 2005). His blog, The Informationist, (www.theinformationist.com), contains his musings on IP, tech policy, and numerous other issues.
Content
Chapter 1 Preface
Chapter 2 Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Chapter 3 Prologue
Part 4 Part I: The Secret Circuit
Chapter 5 Chapter 1: A Court is Born
Chapter 6 Chapter 2: Conservative Liberalism
Part 7 Part II: The Patent Court
Chapter 8 Chapter 3: From Pilgrims to Progress
Chapter 9 Chapter 4: The Main Tent
Chapter 10 Chapter 5: From Cutting Edge to Front Page
Chapter 11 Chapter 6: Innovation Regulation
Part 12 Part III: Not Just the Patent Court
Chapter 13 Chapter 7: Are We Poor Enough Yet?
Chapter 14 Chapter 8: Looking Forward
Chapter 15 Chapter 9: It's Good to be the Government
Chapter 16 Chapter 10: The Divine Dignity of the Infringer
Part 17 Part IV: The Circuit's Secrets
Chapter 18 Chapter 11: Peripheral Vision
Chapter 19 Chapter 12: Dawn of the Digital Millennium
Chapter 20 Chapter 13: Sherman's March
Chapter 21 Chapter 14: Misuse Abuse
Chapter 22 Chapter 15: The Permanent Experiment
Chapter 2 Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Chapter 3 Prologue
Part 4 Part I: The Secret Circuit
Chapter 5 Chapter 1: A Court is Born
Chapter 6 Chapter 2: Conservative Liberalism
Part 7 Part II: The Patent Court
Chapter 8 Chapter 3: From Pilgrims to Progress
Chapter 9 Chapter 4: The Main Tent
Chapter 10 Chapter 5: From Cutting Edge to Front Page
Chapter 11 Chapter 6: Innovation Regulation
Part 12 Part III: Not Just the Patent Court
Chapter 13 Chapter 7: Are We Poor Enough Yet?
Chapter 14 Chapter 8: Looking Forward
Chapter 15 Chapter 9: It's Good to be the Government
Chapter 16 Chapter 10: The Divine Dignity of the Infringer
Part 17 Part IV: The Circuit's Secrets
Chapter 18 Chapter 11: Peripheral Vision
Chapter 19 Chapter 12: Dawn of the Digital Millennium
Chapter 20 Chapter 13: Sherman's March
Chapter 21 Chapter 14: Misuse Abuse
Chapter 22 Chapter 15: The Permanent Experiment