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On the other hand, it is believed that British patent law is one of the reasons most of the great inventions of the industrial revolution happened in Britain. J
by simula67 8y ago
On the other hand, it is believed that British patent law is one of the reasons most of the great inventions of the industrial revolution happened in Britain. James Watt ultimately died a very wealthy man because if it [1] and it encouraged others to get wealthy through invention
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Watt#Patent_trials https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Watt#Patent_trials
- sethrin 8y agoPatents therefore seem to be excellent at producing very wealthy men, which is not necessarily the highest social goal. It's probably good to try to capture some of the social value of a "new" idea for the originator. The specific mechanism of patents is a huge drag on human industry which may not be worthwhile.