Lo, Shih-tse. <br/><br/>
Does it Matter Who Has the Right to Patent:  First-to-invent or First-to-file? Lessons From Canada / 
Shih-tse Lo, Dhanoos Sutthiphisal. 
 - Cambridge, Mass.  National Bureau of Economic Research  2009. 
 - 1 online resource:  illustrations (black and white); 
 - NBER working paper series  no. w14926 .
 - Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research)  no. w14926. .
<br/><br/> April 2009. 
<br/><br/> A switch to a first-to-file patent regime from its first-to-invent system has become imminent for the U.S. To learn about probable effects of such a policy change, we examine a similar switch that occurred in Canada in 1989. We find that the switch failed to stimulate Canadian R&D efforts. Nor did it have any effects on overall patenting. However, the reforms had a small adverse effect on domestic-oriented industries and skewed the ownership structure of patented inventions towards large corporations, away from independent inventors and small businesses. These findings challenge the merits of adopting a first-to-file patent regime. 
<br/><br/>
<br/><br/><br/>System requirements: Adobe [Acrobat] Reader required for PDF files. <br/>Mode of access: World Wide Web.