Patent Wars is a big-picture look at how patents impact the cost and speed of technological innovationand thus our everyday liveswritten by a legal scholar who understands the patent regime down to its nitty-gritty details. Thomas Cotter weaves together compelling stories and sound economic reasoning for an enlightening introduction to some of patent laws most contentious and high-profile controversies.

Kevin Emerson Collins, Professor of Law, Washington University Law School

Patent disputes increasingly dominate the news and affect our daily lives, from access to life saving drugs and diagnostic tests to battles over mobile phones and other vital platform technologies. Professor Thomas Cotter provides a sophisticated, balanced, and readable survey of the patent system that will illuminate patent specialists, scientists, engineers, students, and the general public alike. By demystifying the most salient patent controversies, Patent Wars offers valuable insights into the important roles that patents play in the Information Age.

Peter S. Menell, Koret Professor of Law and Director, Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, University of California-Berkeley

The patent system touches almost every life in innumerable ways, yet it remains opaque and mysterious. Written by a renowned specialist in the intellectual property field, this book explains, in crystal clear language, both the basics of this system and the way it continues to impact crucial contemporary technologies, from DNA to cell phones. Thomas Edison famously invented (and patented) the light bulb, but after you have learned from the entertaining and deeply knowledgeable Professor Cotter, you will never again be in the dark when it comes to this most interesting and important part of the law.

Rob Merges, Professor of Law, University of California-Berkeley