NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH
NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH

Forced Out of the Closet: The Impact of the American Inventors Protection Act on the Timing of Patent Disclosure

Daniel K.N. Johnson, David Popp

NBER Working Paper No. 8374*
Issued in July 2001
NBER Program(s):   PR

Beginning in November 2000, patent applications filed in the United States are disclosed after 18 months, rather than when the patent is granted. Using U.S. patent data from 1976-1996, we find that major inventions are most likely to be affected, as they take longer to go through the application process. We provide evidence that this change will result in faster knowledge diffusion, and conclude with a simulation of the law's potential effect on patent grants.

*Published: Johnson, Daniel K. N. and David Popp. "Forced Out Of The Closet: The Impact Of The American Inventors Protection Act On The Timing Of Patent Disclosure," Rand Journal of Economics, 2003, v34(1,Spring), 96-112.

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