Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-04-17
THE PATENT RIGHT MONOPOLY.

A bill has been introduced into Congress,
which, If it becomes law, will make a rad
ical change in the patent laws Of the United
States. 1t provides that any article which
has been patented may be manufactured and
sold by any corporation, by paying to the
inventor or owner Of the patent right roy
atty Of ten per cent. upon the value Of the
article manufactured. For the protection Of
the owner Of the patent right, the bill pro-
vides that the manufacturer shall give bond
in the sum Of 100000, to be filed in the
patent office at Washington, to properly &C.
count every SIX months for the royalty due
and the payment of the same. The rights
Of parties are defined and protected by other
provisions in the bill, aud the act is also
made applicable to copyrights. The meas
ure was introduced by western member
who made very able speech in its support.
In this speech are grouped together many
facts Of general interest, showing the enor-
nous profits that are realized by some Of the
owners OF useful patent rights The last CEN
sus showed that there was invested in this
couptry, in all classes of manufactures, the
sum of 81, lS,208,769. The annual cost
OF labor was s775, 600, 900, aud the cost Of
materials used was $4,000 100000. The
aggregate value of manufactures was s4,-
32,OOOO0O, leaving net profit to the
manufacturer Of forty per cent. upon the
capital employed.
The profit upon several kinds Of business
was given as follows: Tanning leather, 80
per cent. I; manufacture OF wooden goods 32 (;
cotton goods Is; pig iron 20; patent medi-
cines lis. lnjia rubber goods are annually
manufactured to the amount Of Sl4, $50, $40
employing capital Of s7,486,600. There
is paid out for wages S2,554,877. and for
material 81 ,434,79 yielding net profit
to the manufacturer Of nearly go per cent
These goods could be sold at two-thirds Of
the present prices and still yield remune.
rative profit to the manufacturer. The sew.
ing machine which has now become 4 neces-
sity in almost every household in the coun.
try, paysa profit to the manufacturer OF SIX
ty-seven per cent. In one year and hall
the capital invested in the manufacture o.
sewing machines pays for all the labor and
material used and also for the capital itself
The more common class Of machines fol
which the wife of the farmer and mechanic
is made to pay S65, pays a net profit to the
manufacturer Of 500. Where it is sold OF
time and interest is paid, the machine cost
the buyer more than double what il cost thu
manufacturer to produce it, And thes
enormous profits often come out of poo
women who are obliged to toll by the mid
night lamp to pay them. The net profits o
the business of manufacturing sewing ma
chimes in this country in 1877 was Sl4,
683, 1873.
The manufacturers Of agricultural nipple
ments in 1870 employed u capital Of S34,
S34, 800, aud purchased material amountin
TO S2l 100000, They paid out to their bel
$4,000, 900 and realized profit Of 55 pc
ceut, on the years work, Nearly every i'm
pement which the farmer requires in hi
business is covered by, a patent right, and !
order to obtain it he must pay these enol
; nous profits. 1t is really but little bette
than swindling.
1t ia not probable that farming take on
year with another, pays more than five {
! six per cent. on the capital invested, and o
ten much less, a sum very disproportionat
0 to that which the farmer is obliged to pa
a to monopolies for nearly every implemeI
which he uses in doing his farm work,
II these profits were realized by inventO
themselves, the extortion would not seem
great, but this has been the case in only
| very few Instances, Inventors generally d
+ poor aud their services are rarely appreci
e ted in their day and generation. PinchG
g by poverty, the inventor Is often obliged
part with his valuable patent right for
E mere bagatelle and the proceeds of
brain.work 60 to enrich others,--Mai'
Farmer.