This review book is decent at best. This is mainly due to the fact that it is fairly old. It doesn't contain a lot of the new material and this can be devastating in patent law as it is changing very rapidly. The review it does have is decent but a little sparse for my liking. An Introduction to Patent Law by Meuller is a much better review on the subject and is much more recent.

I bought this book from Amazon on advice from a friend who actually practices patent law, while I am merely interested in understanding the IP issues around starting my own business. I am not a law student etc.

Here is what I liked:

The book is very comprehensive. It covers all conceivable (for a layman) patent law issues, going from basic principles and interpretation of the law, and providing examples from historically significant cases. You learn about what a patent embodies, how to obtain and use it (enforce, license, etc), and various litigation and international issues.

The book is also very up to date. The cases discussed include very recent ones, up to 2003 at least. There is also relevant discussion of biotechnology and information technology (computers, software).

Best of all, the book is short and easy to read. It took me less than 3 days to read it and there are some entertaining examples thrown in which make it easier to read and understand the otherwise boring legal intricacies.

A couple of caveats:

The book does not replace consulting a lawyer, but it will definitely make you more knowledgeable when dealing with one regarding your own or someone else's patents.

The book also does not discuss business issues such as the appropriate patent valuation techniques, license fee structures, etc. You need other books for this, and as of this writing, I am not aware of anything quite as concise as this book but about the business aspects.

I bought this book from Amazon on advice from a friend who actually practices patent law, while I am merely interested in understanding the IP issues around starting my own business. I am not a law student etc.

Here is what I liked:

The book is very comprehensive. It covers all conceivable (for a layman) patent law issues, going from basic principles and interpretation of the law, and providing examples from historically significant cases. You learn about what a patent embodies, how to obtain and use it (enforce, license, etc), and various litigation and international issues.

The book is also very up to date. The cases discussed include very recent ones, up to 2003 at least. There is also relevant discussion of biotechnology and information technology (computers, software).

Best of all, the book is short and easy to read. It took me less than 3 days to read it and there are some entertaining examples thrown in which make it easier to read and understand the otherwise boring legal intricacies.

A couple of caveats:

The book does not replace consulting a lawyer, but it will definitely make you more knowledgeable when dealing with one regarding your own or someone else's patents.

The book also does not discuss business issues such as the appropriate patent valuation techniques, license fee structures, etc. You need other books for this, and as of this writing, I am not aware of anything quite as concise as this book but about the business aspects.

This is a good book if you are taking Patent Law at Chapman. It outlines various principals very well. It is helpful for various assignments. The one small thing it is lacking though, is how to actually write the patent. You are going to have to use the text book for that.

This book is a great find--everything you wanted or needed to know about patent law and procedure, in a nutshell (even if it doesn't come from O'Reilly). Well organized, succinct, but thorough in its coverage of the issues and its explanations of their significance. Quite up-to-date, also, although there may have been a little rush to publish (a few passages could have been edited, but strictly to improve their elegance of expression.)
I look forward eagerly to more books from the publisher in this series.

It's a hornbook, so you kinda gotta see that coming.

If you are taking patent law, you should get this book, it is great.
Thomas also co-authored my casebook, "Cases and Materials on Patent Law" by Adelman, et al.
This hornbook roughly tracks the casebook.
I really enjoy his concise and down-to-earth explanations.
This hornbook contains case summaries of most of the important patent law cases.

More in depth than David Pressman's "Patent It Yourself". It's written for law students, and may be too detailed for some, and lack info for others.