A Patent Lie |  | Author: Paul Goldstein
Publisher: Anchor
Category: Book
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Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 866747
Media: Paperback
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.7
ISBN: 030727490X
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780307274908
ASIN: 030727490X
Publication Date: May 5, 2009
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Product Description
A gripping inside look at high-stakes lawyering, A Patent Lie is further evidence that Paul Goldstein is an emerging master of the legal thriller.
After being forced from his high-powered Manhattan law firm, Michael Seeley—the tough-but-wounded hero of Errors and Omissions—has set up shop in his native Buffalo. Partly out of need, partly out of pride, Seeley takes on a case for his estranged brother, whose small biotech firm is suing a Swiss pharmaceutical giant over a controversial new AIDS vaccine. Seeley heads out to Silicon Valley to lead the case, but soon realizes there is much more at stake than he was first led to believe. As certain partnerships come to light, and financial gains become staggeringly clear, Seeley's own life may be in grave danger.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 16
 "There's an issue of principle here." June 29, 2008
E. Bukowsky (NY United States)
33 out of 37 found this review helpful
In "A Patent Lie," by Paul Goldstein, forty-seven year old attorney Michael Seeley is a solo practitioner in his hometown of Buffalo, New York. He has a part-time receptionist, his office is a dump, and he handles "nickel and dime cases." On a chilly autumn day, his younger brother, Leonard, whom he hasn't seen in nine years, stops by to see him. Since Leonard lives in San Francisco, where he works as the chief medical officer for a small biotech company, this is not a casual visit. For weeks, Leonard has been leaving Michael frantic messages. It seems that Leonard's employer, Vaxtek, has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against a giant Swiss drug producer, St. Gall. The trial is scheduled to begin in three weeks, and Robert Pearsall, Vaxtek's lead attorney, has suddenly died, an apparent suicide. Leonard wants his brother to take over this important case, since the company's financial health and his own portfolio could be seriously affected by the result of the litigation.
Michael has problems of his own. Before moving back to Buffalo, he was employed by a New York corporate law firm, and although he won his share of cases, he was not happy. Lonely and deeply depressed, he found refuge in drinking, and eventually descended into alcoholism. He barely escaped disbarment, and is now staying sober one day at a time. Why risk what he has fought so hard to achieve by getting involved in a high-profile and potentially stressful trial? In addition, Michael has no desire to reconnect with Leonard, since seeing him inevitably brings back horrible memories of the two young boys cowering in fear while their drunken bully of a father stormed through the house. When he was only fifteen, Michael left home for good, and he has no desire to revisit the past or bond with what is left of his family. He cares about Leonard, but does not trust his brother, who "never stopped manipulating people and events to get what he wanted." Against his better judgment, Michael agrees to fly out to San Francisco and try the case with the assistance of a team that includes a young attorney named Chris Palmieri. Soon, however, he notices some anomalies that trouble him. He begins to suspect that the lawyers and administrators who work for Vaxtek and St. Gall may be concealing vital information. Michael eventually comes to regret his decision to leave his sleepy little practice back east in Buffalo.
"A Patent Lie" is an intelligent legal thriller with a colorful cast: Michael is a crafty lawyer with sharp instincts; this case will test not only his professional ability but also his idealism, tenacity, and courage. Thirty-six year old Lily Warren is a vaccine researcher and former colleague of the supposed inventor of the AIDS vaccine, the pompous and obnoxious Alan Steinhardt. Seely is attracted to the brilliant and beautiful Warren, but he senses that she is withholding critical facts that could affect the trial's outcome. Judy, Robert Pearsall's distraught wife, is convinced that her husband was murdered, and she urges Michael to look into the circumstances surrounding his death. District Judge Ellen Farnsworth is a no-nonsense type; she has little patience with anyone who tries to cross her. Joel Warshaw, the owner of Vaxkek, is a wily and venal entrepreneur who buys and sells companies for profit. After meeting him, Seely is convinced that the amoral Warshaw would sink to any depths in order to enrich himself.
This is an engrossing and complex courtroom drama that requires close concentration, since there are intricate scientific and legal issues at stake. Seely is no fool, and after bringing himself up to speed and interviewing Judy Pearsall and Lily Warren, he realizes that he may be missing the forest for the trees. Something does not compute, and Michael is determined to find out what it is. Both he and Lily must decide whether to play along with what may be corporate malfeasance or risk their reputations and lives opposing a group of powerful and ruthless men. This is your classic David vs. Goliath story and it is well told. For the most part, the author avoids phony theatrics and formulaic plot devices. The courtroom scenes are instructive and absorbing, and Goldstein wraps up his narrative satisfyingly. "A Patent Lie" will appeal to audiences of legal thrillers that rely on ideas and personalities rather than silly twists and turns, mindless violence, and steamy sex scenes. Goldstein does not go for the glitz, but instead focuses on what happens when clever lawyers and those who employ them act selfishly and callously, ignoring the needs of those who are unable to stand up for themselves.
Patents, and how to understand them July 14, 2008
James Comfort (Dallas)
20 out of 26 found this review helpful
OK I promise that I enjoyed this book because I have been a Patent Attorney for over fifty years, and enjoyed it because it make Patent Attorneys become heros. We always were, however we were not appreciated before. Every Attorney who is has a client, either before he files for a patent, or before litigation, should buy multi copies of this book and give every client a copy of the book. The book is well written for everyone and the suspense is well done. What it does is explain in a novel what a patent is, why it is important, and how to protect, or not protect an invention. For years patents were considered unimportant, until the Japanese, Koreans, and now the Chinese took our basic inventions, copied them, ignored our patents, and sold copied products into the US market. Then we understood the importance of patents, and used them to protect US inventions.
The other review gave the story of this novel. However if you want to understand patents, the litigation of patents, then this novel is for you. If you just want a good story, it is also well worth reading.
A great legal thriller; hard to put down. August 27, 2008
Cap'n Dan (Maryland)
If you like reading Turow, then you'll enjoy Goldstein. He explores the courtroom strategy and tactics in a fascinating case that has enough detail to create verisimilitude (learned that in high-school lit. class). All seen through the eyes of a somewhat burned out lawyer struggling against alcoholism.
Patent law for the non-professional September 3, 2008
C. M. Godfrey
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
"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.
Entertaining, skillful, and intellectual writing July 21, 2008
C. Keith Conners (Durham, NC United States)
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
I can understand that some people might find this book a little too demanding for their attention. It is, after all, about an arcane subject (patent law), that will be unfamiliar to most of us. But as the story unfolds, the author skillfully teaches us in an engaging way, just how important and interesting this subject matter is. The first requirement of good fictional literature is that the story rings true.
This story is about the world wide impact of a particular legal struggle over a patent for an HIV vaccine. The science surrounding the discovery of the vaccine, the legal subtleties involved in getting the vaccine patent approved, the emotional struggles of the actors involved, and the ethical dilemmas affecting the outcome are all masterfully portrayed in an entertaining and gripping fashion. There is a murder involved, and the killer is always lurking in the background of the legal battle, but the murder is not just a device to appeal to mystery lovers, but an intrinsic symbol of the gravity surrounding the basic plot, emerging at the end as a logical outcome of the characters involved, much as the killers in P.D. James's novels always seem logical once the characters are fully developed.
Sure, there is a touch of the pedantic, as one might expect from a master teacher. But this is one of the few recent contemporary mystery stories that leaves me satisfied for having been entertained while being taught at a high level about significant truths.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 16
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