San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-05-02
OVER STIMULATION OF INVEN-
TON.

From an Occasional Contributor.
The United States patent office Is
less than one hundred and eight years
old. but in it's comparatively brief lie
has granted more patents, lover 6Oo'-
OOO) than all the world countries COM
bined To the average complacent
American citizen this is source OF
national pride. But, to those VINO
know the facts, this great overproduc-
tion of so-called improvements sug-
gests the sloppy waste and eXtraVa-
gance for which we are know outside
our own mutual admiration society.
To stimulate invention, the United
States government has enacted tnat
every inventor of a new and useful
machine, tool, utensil, article Oh man
ufacture. composition of matter, OF
any improvement thereon, shall nave
the exclusive right to make, use or
sell the invention for period or sew
enteen years. This is what is calleu
| a patent. This stimulation has been
quite sufficient, for under its influence
| as has been stated, more patents have
been granted in the United States
| than in all the world beside. But re-
Gently there has been introduced an
| additional stimulation in the shape OF
false statements and deceitful prom
| ises about the great fortunes to be
| made in patents, the result of which
| is turning the light heads of hundreds
| of thousands of bread winning ounces
| from normal toll to illusion with its
| direfuI sequence of ruin and want.
| II is an actual fact that thousands OF
| men and women are selling FARMS
| horses. cows and econOmizing In
clothes and shoes for themselves and
| children. because they have been per-
| suaded that a fortune awaits them In
| a patent for churn, washing ma
chine. a kitchen cabinet, car-coupler
nut lock. or in some other of the hun
! dreds of classes of overstOCked inven-
ton. Many patent attorneys, SOCIAL
ed. 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 in the same class, and these
stimulating, seductive statements are
really and only in the interest OF the
alleged patent attorneys who senC
them. The average cost of patent
is $6J The government fees are $35
and the balance, $50. goes into the
pocket of the attorney. All of these
attorneys demand their fee in advance
or before they present the application
for patent. They do not have to carr
their fee by getting the patent, bu
simply to tell the inventor that hi:
invention is patentable, and, since full
" one-third thus made are rejected
the statement of patentability is Otter
false. and no doubt in hundreds o
instances. is made only to get the fee
The average inventor is credulous
Some who have been taught in tn
school of experience are wary, bu
many even of these have fallen pre-,
TO the bold and brilliant talent tina
has recently appeared in the field. The!
. have been piled with such seductive
F | literature" and luTed by such cares
, | sing promises of sale of invention ant
a fortune only waiting to be graspeC
that they have overcome their caution
, | and silenCed their common sense t.
, find themselves sans money, sans pat
! | ent. sans sale and rich only in fresl
, experience and the chagrin whicl
rough teaching brings. 1t is no small
! | task to educate and warn sevent,
= ! millions Of people, mostly fools" Blu
, | patents are a game which, We're tn
+ | people wise. patent sale agencies woul
not play at. Patents more frequently
ruin than enrich the inventor OF al
the 100000 granted, il is doubtful
60 600 were really valuable, OF marke