by Paul Goldstein
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Product Description
Forced out of his high-powered Manhattan law firm and stuck in a dead-end solo practice, Michael Seeley, the tough-but-wounded hero of Errors and Omissions, cannot say no when his estranged brother, Leonard, head of research at upstart biotech Vaxtek, Inc., flies in from California to beg him to take over the company’s lawsuit for patent infringement of its pathbreaking AIDS vaccine after the sudden death of the lead trial lawyer. The financial and moral stakes of the case are staggering, and Seeley suspects that murder cannot be ruled out as a hardball litigation tactic of big-pharma adversary St. Gall Laboratories.
As Seeley travels between San Francisco and Silicon Valley to prepare for trial, dark facts surface concerning the vaccine’s discovery by Vaxtek scientist Alan Steinhardt and its alleged theft by St. Gall researcher Lily Warren. Ethical quandaries deepen into mortal danger as the trial, under the stern prodding of federal judge Ellen Farnsworth, rushes to its unexpected end. A timely and fascinating look at how the law operates at its most arcane yet financially consequential, A Patent Lie is further evidence that Paul Goldstein is an emerging master of the legal thriller.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Didn't meet expectations, 2008-09-11
Warning - may contain spoilers
After reading the reviews, I opened the book expecting a courtroom drama combined with a murder case, pharmaceuticals, Intellectual Property and patents. What I found was a mashup of middling courtroom drama, some information on the AIDS epidemic in Africa and why patents are important to pharmaceutical companies. Oh - also some attempt at adding a murder mystery that we don't really have a hand in or a chance to follow. The murder is finally solved by the police in the one of the last pages. There's no `meat' to it.
Nothing in the story seems to *matter*, really. The hero does the right thing and his brother, who will be financially ruined by this, is just OK with it. The love interest could be deported for doing the right thing, and seems OK with it. There are a lot of misses in this, and to me, nothing really `clicked'.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 Patent law for the non-professional, 2008-09-03
"A Patent Lie" is an excellent read. A trial lawyer from Buffalo is brought to San Francisco on short notice to try a patent law case. The plot is well crafted, including many of the nuances peculiar to patent litigation, but without lapsing into legalese or dwelling on arcane legal procedure.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Gripping, good explanations of patent law - but no Markman! - mostly unrealistic female characters, 2008-09-01
Just finished this book today. I'm not sure if I devoured this book so quickly because of its story or because I'm a patent attorney (perhaps a little of both). The story and plot twists to me are almost worthy of Grisham, as is the explanations of patent law "to the masses". The characters themselves seem to be a little stereotypical, and for those patent attorneys who think this book makes them heroes, think again. The only patent attorney character given a voice in this book comes across initially as somewhat conceited, and later as barely ethical (he admits to following a client's order to not submit art to the USPTO "that would be material to an examiner"- a disciplinary risk that no patent attorney I know would take without subsequently withdrawing from the case, which this patent attorney does not do), although he does redeem himself.
I found it surprising that no mention is made of any Markman hearing (a hearing used for claim construction, i.e., to determine what the claims of a patent really mean), common to many patent trials. To me, claim construction is central to a determination of validity and even inventorship (both of which are key issues here). Without a determination of what patent's claims mean, you don't really know what "the invention" is and thus I fail to see how you can say if a claim is valid, whether it was obvious (an issue also discussed much during the trial), or that a certain person was the sole inventor on all claims, etc. However, this level of detail might make the book very difficult for many readers to follow (although not having it may dissappoint the patent attorneys reading it).
Frankly, I can barely recall any mention of patent claims at all, although the basics of prosecution are covered well. The trial at the heart of the book seems less about infringement and more about invalidity and/or priority of invention, and possibly inventorship. It is also a nice study in how to conduct (and not conduct) cross examination, how to prepare witnesses (and how not to), how to read unspoken body language of opposing counsel, etc. Here, the author's own litigation experience shines through and gives the book a realism that is educational while also being exciting.
My only complaint is about the female characters. Being a woman, I'm probably going to feel more strongly about this than other reviewers. The females in this book simply don't sound or talk that realistically, and seem to be too unguarded and open with Seeley, even upon knowing him only a few minutes. This is a failing common to the author's previous book (Errors and Omissions, which I recently read, too). Specifically, when the author introduces a female character, she will almost always be immediately attracted to Micheal Seeley, the lead character. He's described as attractive, in his 40's (I think), and having the build of an ex-football palyer, but not on a level of a Tom Brady, Brad Pitt, where any woman would go gaga and/or out of her way to help him or be ar ound him (or at least I would). Other than the character's estranged wife (in the first novel), almost every female character seems to be flirting with Seeley, coming on to him, etc., and right away, too. Even the ones not flirting or attempting to seduce Seeley all like him and go out of their way to help him. I don't get it, because what is given about his personality in both novels, especially upon first meeting, leaves a lot to be desired. He is, most of the time, very direct and lawyerly (not necessarily in a good way), often pre-occupied, and not especially thoughtful (although he does care deeply about the legal issues he's addressing). He is repeatedly clueless about how to act with and be with women, and readily admits it, so I just don't get his seeming animal magnetism.
Still a great read, though, but hopefully future novels will have more realistic female characters.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Very good read, 2008-08-28
Full of intriguing details about the patent business and the laws that apply, this book is very difficult to put down once you begin reading. I hope it's the first of many starring this lawyer
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 Definitely not Grisham, and really kind of hokey, 2008-08-27
I, too, purchased this book on the basis of the NPR recommendation. This is the first time NPR has failed me. I'm an attorney and have enjoyed Grisham's books because they often are true to life.
This book is not good. Don't waste your money.
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