Last week, I published my review of Fred Warshofsky's The Patent
Wars, a book published in 1994 that chronicles the
transformation of U.S. patents into weapons of economic warfare. In
response, one of my readers kindly suggested I look at another book
from that era, Rembrandts in the Attic (2000), noting it
might be "potentially relevant" to my perspective on the
U.S. patent system.
I am grateful for the recommendation. I have now read the book,
and I can confirm it is not just relevant but also a necessary next
step in strategy.
If The Patent Wars describes the battlefield,
Rembrandts in the Attic provides the battle plan. It moves
the conversation from the courtroom to the boardroom, explaining
how patents evolved from legal swords into powerful,
revenue-generating corporate assets. For any European professional
seeking to understand the business logic driving American
competitors, this book is an indispensable guide. It explains
how to implement the
