caption death_date death_place birth_place image_size nationality field birth_date known_for image article_title name alma_mater
gordon gould in 1940 16 september 2005 new york city new york city 240px american physics july 17 , 1920 laser , patent law gordon gould.jpg gordon gould
 gordon gould union college yale university columbia university
gordon gould

gordon gould -lrb- july 17 , 1920 -- september 16 , 2005 -rrb- was an american physicist who is widely , but not universally , credited with the invention of the laser .
-lrb- others attribute the invention to theodore maiman -rrb- .
gould is best known for his thirty-year fight with the united states patent and trademark office to obtain patents for the laser and related technologies .
he also fought with laser manufacturers in court battles to enforce the patents he subsequently did obtain .
