Bob Higgins <[email protected]> wrote:
> Later, 1500s-1600s, the process became more standardized and written in > laws and cultural process. > Lincoln said it was 1624: "Next came the patent laws. These began in England in 1624, and in this country with the adoption of our Constitution." He was an expert in high technology and related law. There were older "patents" as you mentioned, but they covered a lot of things other than intellectual property. For a while, there were patents issued for existing technology. This caused a lot problems, such as when James Watt had to invent around a patent for a crank, using a planet gear instead. - Jed
