A lesson in sound drafting practice
David Nelms · Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice · 2012
‘A book may be good for nothing; or there may be only one thing in it worth knowing; are we to read it all through?’ (Samuel Johnson) This section is dedicated to the review of ideas, articles, books, films and other media. It will include replies (and rejoinders) to articles, the evaluation of new ideas or proposals, and reviews of books and articles both directly and indirectly related to intellectual property law. As every patent attorney knows, the skill of patent claim drafting cannot simply be learnt from a book. However, as with any skill, there are many fundamental principles that must be followed when claim-drafting—which principles are often summarized in reference works. While some of these fundamental principles are common to all patent jurisdictions, there are often almost as many which are unique to individual jurisdictions. In addition to a thorough understanding of the principles of claim-drafting,...