Patents are often explained as an ’agreement’ between inventors and society at large. The patents provide inventors with a period of exclusivity in return for the Inventor contributing his/her novel idea to the public. However, like all good things, patents come with an expiration date. In this blog, we will explore why patents expire, the implications of patent expiration, and how it contributes to the delicate balance between encouraging innovation and promoting public access.
The Nature of the Patent Bargain
To understand why patents expire, we must first delve into the nature of the patent system. The patent system is designed to stimulate innovation, reward inventors, and promote economic growth. It does so by granting Inventors a limited period of exclusivity – usually 20 years – in exchange for a detailed public disclosure of their invention.
Encouraging Innovation
The prospect of obtaining exclusive rights to an invention can stimulate innovation by offering inventors the possibility of a significant return on their investment. Without this protection, inventors might be less inclined to devote their time and resources to developing new products or technologies, fearing that others could freely copy, use and profit from the Inventor’s work.
Knowledge Sharing
At the same time, the patent system aims to add to the public knowledge. By requiring inventors to disclose the details of their inventions in their patent applications, it ensures that their contributions become part of the public domain, available for anyone to learn from and build upon after the patent expires.
The Reason for Patent Expiration
Patent expiration is a critical part of the patent ‘agreement’. But why do patents expire? There are several underlying reasons.
Promoting Access and Competition
The primary reason is to promote public access to patented inventions and foster competition. When a patent expires, the protected invention enters the public domain. This allows others to manufacture, use, and sell the invention freely, leading to increased competition, potentially lower prices, and improved access for consumers.
Stimulating Further Innovation
Patent expiration can also stimulate further innovation. Once a patent expires, other inventors are free to build upon the patented technology, leading to new inventions and advancements. This process of continued and cumulative innovation is fundamental to technological progress.
Balancing Inventor’s Rights and Public Interest
Finally, patent expiration helps to balance the rights of the inventor with the interests of the public. While inventors are rewarded with a period of exclusivity, this monopoly is temporary. Once the patent expires, society can fully benefit from the invention without restriction.
Understanding Patent Lifecycles
Understanding the lifecycle of a patent is essential for both inventors and those who wish to use or build upon patented technology. From the moment a patent is filed, the countdown to its expiration begins. However, to maintain patent rights throughout the patent term, inventors must pay maintenance fees at regular intervals. Failure to do so can result in early expiration of the patent. This ‘weeds out’ patents which are not being used, allowing the public to begin using the technology earlier than if all maintenance fees were paid.
Beyond Expiration: The Impact on Society
Patent expiration has far-reaching implications. For inventors and businesses, it can signal the end of a revenue stream and the need to innovate to stay competitive. For consumers and other businesses, it often means increased access to technology, more competition, and lower prices. In the pharmaceutical industry, for instance, the expiration of drug patents often leads to the introduction of cheaper generic versions, making medicines more accessible to a broader population.
A Balancing Act
In essence, patents expire because they are a part of a grand balancing act: stimulating innovation, rewarding inventors, and ensuring public access to technological advancements. The limited term of a patent encourages inventors to keep innovating while ensuring that today’s cutting-edge technologies become tomorrow’s public knowledge. So, while patent expiration might seem like an end, it’s also a beginning – a new starting point for further innovation, competition, and societal advancement.
