The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1897-05-06
OVER STIMULATION OF INVENTION.
From an occasional contributor

|
old, but in Its comparatively brief life
has granted more patents, (over 6oo,-
ooo,) than all the old world countries
combined. To the average complacent
American citizen this is source of
national pride. But, to those who
know the facts, this great overproduc-
ton Of so-called improvements sug-
gests the sloppy waste and extrava-
gance tor which we are known outside
our own mutual admiration society.
To stimulate invention, the U. S.
Government has enacted that every
inventor of a new and usefu! machine,
tool, utensil, article of manufacture,
composition ofmatter, or any improve
ment thereon, shall have the exclusive
right to make, use and sell the inven-
ton for period of seventeen years.
This is what is called patent This
stimulation has been quite sufficient,
for, under Its influence, as has been
stated, more patents have been grant
ed in the United States than in all
the world beside. But recently there
has been introduced an additional
stimulation in the shape of false state
ments and deceitful promises about
the great fortunes to be made in
patents, the result of which is turning
the light heads of hundreds of thou
sands of bread winning ounces from
normal toll to illusion with its direful
sequence of ruin and want. 1t is an
actual fact that thousands of men and
woman are selling farms, horses, COWS,
, and economizing in clothes and shoes
for themselves and children, because
they have been persuaded that for
> tune awaits them in patent for a
churn, a washing machine, kitchen
: cabinet, a car-coupler, nut lock, or in
some other Of the hundreds OF classes
of overstocked invention. Many pa
tent attorneys, so called, are flooding
the country with ''lists of inventions
wanted" The inventions are of course
not wanted. There are, dead in the
Patent Office, hundreds of patents ir
rs the same class, and these stimulating,
1t seductive statements are really anc
n only in the interest of the alleged
patent attorneys who send them. The
j., average cost of patent is sos. The
Government fees are SIS, and the
N balance, $50, goes into the pocket o
Id the attorney. All of these attorney
Ill demand their fee in advance, or be
ly fore they present the application 70
lie patent. They do not have to carr
their fee by getting the patent, bu
S, simply to tell the inventor that his in
vention is patentable, and, since full
e- one third Of the applications thus mad
are rejected, the statement of patent
er- ability is often false, and no doubt, i
I'd hundreds of instances, is made only t
m. get the fee.
TO- The average inventor is credulou
Some who have been taught in tn
m. school of experience are wary, bu
many even of these have fallen pre-
to the bold and brilliant talent tn;
has recently appeared in the fel'
Of They have been piled with such S
lor ductive 'literature" and lured by sue
an carresslng promises of sale of invei
to ton and fortune only waiting to
ere grasped that they have overcome the
Ion caution and silenced their commc
as sense to find themselves sans none
,ro- sans patent, sans sale, and rich on
its in fresh experience and the chagr
zen. which rough teaching brings. 1t
at no small task to educate and wa
the seventy millions of people, "mos
wer fools,' but patents are a game, whle
phs were the people wise patent S;
he agencies would not play at. Pater
ritv more frequently ruin than enrich
and inventor. Of all the 600, 900 grant'
ere | it is doubtful if 6o,ooo were rea
NV valuable, or marked an advance
ITO the art to which they pertained. II
ac. far from desirable that real genu
ces progressive invention should be
Won couraged or checked, but it is desi
yerv BILE and imperious, that the mend;
are ties of patent attorneys shall be st
hsn ped, because they are the source
due most of that which is spurious
on sloppy in the Patent Office, to
lion nothing of the ruin and misery
,ver- thousands of people fitted only
nro. honest toll. Not half the pate
had would be applied for if the allel
ests inventor was reliably advised as to
,telv state of the art, or told that his de'
rove was not patentable. The facts
Rem withheld from him until the attor
teur has pocketed his fee, and he is
et,ve only kept ignorant of the truth, br
and cunningly piled with assurances
IS to the great merit of his invention,
apbv promise of its ready sale, with an
make to advertise it for consideration
pro with medal alleged to come fro
.rs at "Board of Awards" as Il certtcat
Nc &C excellence, etc. BY these means