3 ms·
This is one of those funny cases where the etymological connection has been a bit obscured by time. Patents are called such because they are "open letters" disc
by joeyo 12y ago
This is one of those funny cases where the etymological connection has been a bit obscured by time. Patents are called such because they are "open letters" disclosing the invention. Patent : Open :: Latent : Hidden.
Of course in this case it's patent that patent disclosures are not what is being referred to. :-)
- HackinOut 12y agoJust saw your comment: Thanks for the insight! Now that I understood the root causes and laughed at the related word play, I won't forget anymore :)