Find out what key Congressional staffers are reading about intellectual property, Hatch-Waxman and the pharmaceutical industry. These documents are provided in PDF format. Abraham Lincoln said that patents added the fuel of interest to the fire of genius. But it was not genius and genius alone that Lincoln and our founding fathers desired from a patent system.
Innovation is the answer.
Patents are crucial because they make it possible for society to realize or secure the benefits of genius, creativity and effort. Each advance builds on advances that preceded it. Centuries ago people used plants and herbs or their extracts for medical purposes. Today we use synthetic compounds, and the medical uses for those compounds have revolutionized the way modern health care professionals treat disease.