On Sept 19, 2019, the IP Institute hosted a Public Lecture at Fordham Law School given by John Richards, Senior Advisor to the IP Institute and Adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School. 

John Richards’ talk was entitled, “Patents In Crisis: Is There A Solution in Sight?” In his lecture, John described the patent crisis in the United States as a consequence of using “four sledgehammers to crack a relatively small nut” following the dot com boom and subsequent bust. These sledgehammers, in the form of controversial Supreme Court decisions on issues of injunctions, subject matter eligibility, and obviousness, as well as the lack of a standing requirement in inter partes review, have created uncertainty and reduced confidence in the patent system. The discussion included ways to mitigate these issues, as well as further challenges faced by the system.  

A recording of his talk can be found in the Media Library.