The newly industrial US ignored foreign patents and copyrights - claiming they were an attempt by europe to keep the new country down. Dicken's Martin Chuzzlewi

The newly industrial US ignored foreign patents and copyrights - claiming they were an attempt by europe to keep the new country down. Dicken's Martin Chuzzlewit is an attack on the widespread (legal) piracy of his works in the US. It's also how US steel got it's head start - by not having to pay a license for the Bessemer converter. Then at the end of the 19C when the US was industrialized it suddenly got a lot more interested in patents. It's rather like how Disney wants to use 19th century fairy tales in it's cartoons for free while making sure it's stories will still be copyrighted in the 29th century