TY  - JOUR
AU  - Johnson,Daniel K.N.
AU  - Popp,David
TI  - Forced Out of the Closet: The Impact of the American Inventors Protection Act on the Timing of Patent Disclosure
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 8374
PY  - 2001
Y2  - July 2001
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w8374
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w8374.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Daniel K.N. Johnson
E-Mail: djohnson@coloradocollege.edu

David Popp
Associate Professor of Public Administration
Syracuse University
The Maxwell School
426 Eggers Hall
Syracuse, NY 13244-1020
Tel: 315/443-2482
Fax: 315/443-1081
E-Mail: dcpopp@maxwell.syr.edu
AB  - 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.
ER  -