Fisher outlines three trends : (1) the increasing number of citizens owning , or employed by owners of , intellectual property; (2) the United States’ economic position as an increasingly net exporter of intellectual property; and (3) the increasing investment companies have made in intellectual property in terms of research, development, brand - establishment, etc. (1999, Sect. II. A.).

Ladas and Parry note that patent law originated in a manufacturing economy when patents were beginning to acquire new importance , and that patents have increased in popularity along with the rise of the economy (2009, n. pag.)