Intellectual Property Rights: U.S. Companies' Views on Patent Law
Harmonization (Testimony, 10/07/93, GAO/T-GGD-94-11).

This testimony focuses on patent law harmonization, which seeks to
bridge some of the basic difference between the U.S. patent system and
those of other countries.  The United States, for example, is the only
developed nation awarding patents to the first inventor regardless of
when the patent application is filed.  Moreover, U.S. patent
applications are kept secret until a patent is granted.  In contrast,
most developed countries award patents to the first inventor to file an
application and publish all patent applications after they are filed.
GAO's remarks are based primarily on the results of a 1992 survey of
U.S. companies regarding their patent experiences in Japan, Europe, and
the United States and their views on patent harmonization.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  T-GGD-94-11
     TITLE:  Intellectual Property Rights: U.S. Companies' Views on 
             Patent Law Harmonization
      DATE:  10/07/93
   SUBJECT:  Patent law
             License agreements
             Foreign patents
             International cooperation
             International trade
             Foreign trade agreements
             International relations
             Treaties
             Foreign governments
             Copyrights
IDENTIFIER:  Japan
             Europe
             WIPO Patent Harmonization Treaty
             
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