IEOR 190G: Why this class?

With an academic background in business, applied economics and policy, I am indeed interested in the costs and benefits aspect of intellectual property. From my basic understanding of technology trends especially in China, innovation is a substantial barrier to developing economies' growth. 

Last summer, I read tech company biographer Richard Brandt's book "One Click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of Amazon." Besides learning about the e-commerce giant's amazing rise from the ground up, I was particularly fascinated by the patent battles the firm had fought against various competitors to maintain its competitive edge, for example, its "one click" button. 

While the concept of a "one click" purchase is pretty "duh" obvious, no one's thought of it AND implemented it before! So Bezos, Amazon's CEO, laid claim to it as intellectual property and forced rival Barnes and Noble to settle when it sued B&N for copying them with the "two click" purchase option. 

What constitutes a patent? Just how much money is at stake? And how do entrepreneurs and business developers spot the value of these patents before the transactions even occur in the future? These are the questions I hope to think about critically and - through class discussion, Prof Lavian's guidance, and this fun blog -  eventually answer, though I am doubtful that a black and white answer will exist.

Anyway, I'm super looking forward to building my knowledge on the technical side of these technologies too and getting a better picture of the patent world through case studies. I'm sure my experience in 190G will be helpful for my future career in business.