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How Thomas Edison, Patron Saint Of Patent Holders, Copied Others' Works To 'Invent' The Light Bulb
,----[ Quote ]
| We've written in the past how Thomas Edison
| -- who is often held up by patent hoarders
| as the perfect example of why patents are
| necessary -- didn't actually invent any of
| the stuff he's famous for "inventing."
| Instead, he's most famous for taking the
| work of others and innovating around it just
| slightly, to find a good market -- but then
| also patenting the work of others and
| blocking anyone else from entering the
| market. I admire his innovative side and his
| marketing prowess, but find his abuse of
| patents to be unfortunate. Reader Michael
| points to a recent story in Wired which
| highlights how this worked with the
| incandescent lightbulb.
`----
http://techdirt.com/articles/20091218/1100247426.shtml
Thomas Jefferson Decided The Hemp Brake Was Too Important To Patent
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| We've had plenty of discussions about Thomas
| Jefferson's views on the patent system. He
| is, clearly, the father of the patent system
| in the US. While he was incredibly skeptical
| of the idea of granting any monopolies
| originally, he did come around to accept
| patents in very limited circumstances, and
| when he oversaw the patent system, he was
| careful to make sure that the downsides of
| such monopolies were limited. Separately,
| for many years, I've heard the story of how
| Ben Franklin purposely decided not to patent
| his stove invention, stating:
|
| "As we enjoy great advantages from the
| inventions of others, we should be glad
| of an opportunity to serve others by any
| invention of ours; and this we should do
| freely and generously."
`----
http://techdirt.com/articles/20091211/0810217306.shtml
The Letters of Thomas Jefferson: 1743-1826
THE EARTH BELONGS TO THE LIVING
"I set out on this ground which I suppose to be self evident, "that the
earth belongs in usufruct to the living;" that the dead have neither powers
nor rights over it. The portion occupied by an individual ceases to be his
when himself ceases to be, and reverts to the society. If the society has
formed no rules for the appropriation of its lands in severalty, it will be
taken by the first occupants. These will generally be the wife and children
of the decedent."
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