In "The unbound Prometheus" David Landes writes about the historical causes for the industrial revolution in Europe, specifically analyzing the manufacture of c

In "The unbound Prometheus" David Landes writes about the historical causes for the industrial revolution in Europe, specifically analyzing the manufacture of cotton in England. After noting that many inventors "spent more time enforcing their patent rights than earning them", he writes an apropos footnote about the incentives laid by patents: "A number of writers have laid stress on the incentive effects of patent legislation. I am inclined to doubt its significance. This kind of protection was not new; the basis of the system was laid by the Statute of Monopolies in 1624. [...] At the same time, there was good reason to doubt the efficacy of patents against determined competitors, as numerous inventors learned to their sorrow, and many an entrepreneur placed his reliance on secrecy, rather than law." http://books.google.com/books?id=axrD2M9dBE8C&lpg=PP1&pg=PA64#v=onepage&q&f=false http://books.google.com/books?id=axrD2M9dBE8C&lpg=PP1&#3...