The US FTC issues report on the evolving intellectual property marketplace

This week the Federal Trade Commission issued its long-anticipated report, "The Evolving IP Marketplace: Aligning Patent Notice and Remedies With Competition." The report is seen by the FTC as continuing the "policy engagement with the patent system" that it launched in its controversial October 2003 report, "To Promote Innovation: The Proper Balance of Competition and Patent Law and Policy." Based on eight days of hearings, public comments and independent research, the FTC's new report focuses on issues of notice to the public of the scope of patent claims coverage and remedies for patent infringement. The report has eight chapters: chapters 1 and 2 describe the FTC's view of the evolving IP marketplace; chapter 3 focuses on patent notice; and chapters 4-8 deal with remedies. Some