Creating and Protecting Intellectual Property Rights for Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology has been the new “it” technology in intellectual property circles for years: the volume of “nanotechnology” patent applications continues to grow, the “nano” prefix has been attached to everything from pants to household cleaners to ski equipment, and cross-licensing arrangements in this area are becoming commonplace. The nanotech boom has been accompanied by an uptick in regulatory attention, which is expected to continue to lead to new programs at all levels of administration and to affect the value of various nanotechnologies as risks are identified and managed through regulations. Despite the explosive growth in nanotechnology and the promise of ...