Abstract
Importantly, at least a few relevant patent holders are inevitably left out of an industry organization's collection of patents. These left-out patent holders, known as "holdouts," can undermine the collective arrangement with demand letters and infringement suits.[...] The first part of this Note explains why holdouts exist in the first place, given the benefits of joining an organization of collected patents. In the second part of this Note, I explore the lack of legal protections against holdout demands offered by pre-eBay patent law. The third part of this Note introduces the eBay decision as revolutionary addition to list of legal protections against holdouts. To conclude, I speculate on the effects of eBay in areas of technology currently covered by patent thickets.
Recommended Citation
Gavin D. George,
What Is Hiding in the Bushes - Ebay's Effect on Holdout Behavior in Patent Thickets,
13
Mich. Telecomm. & Tech. L. Rev.
557
(2007).
Available at:
https://repository.law.umich.edu/mttlr/vol13/iss2/11