DEMOCRATIZATION OF INVENTION: PATENTS AND COPYRIGHTS IN AMERICAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, 1790-1920

"This book examines the evolution and impact of the intellectual property rights system in the United States during the "long nineteenth century." The American experience is compared to Britain and France, countries whose institutions reflected their oligarchic origins. Instead, U.S. patent and copyright institutions were carefully calibrated to "promote the general welfare." The United States created the first modern patent system, and its policies were the most liberal in the world towards inventors. When markets expanded, these inventors contributed to the proliferation of new technologies and improvements, many of which proved to be valuable in both economic and technical terms. Individuals who did not have their resources to directly exploit their inventions benefited disproportionately from the operation of efficient markets. The accumulation of such incremental efforts helped to propel the United States to the forefront of all other industrial nations."--BOOK JACKET.