This new edition captures all of the recent and rapidly emerging changes in case law and legislation, yet retains its student- and professor-friendly approach to the policies and rules of patent law. This version teaches the far-reaching legal tenets of patent law that are as venerable as the Constitution itself and yet as current as the latest developments from the laboratory bench. Like its successful predecessor, this casebook draws on insights from other areas of US law and from aspects of foreign systems as well. Because patent law plays a vital role in the international marketplace, students must understand US law in the context of international patent systems to properly represent their clients.