Even though Benjamin Franklin is credited with many popular inventions, he never patented or copyrighted any of them. He believed that they should be given freely and that claiming ownership would only cause trouble and “sour one’s Temper and disturb one’s Quiet.”
patents
MIT lawyers did not patent…
MIT lawyers did not patent turn-by-turn in-car navigation in 1989 because “This will never happen.. because the insurance companies won’t allow it”.
Abraham Lincoln patented a mechanism to lift boats…
Abraham Lincoln patented a mechanism to lift boats over shoals and obstructions, making him the only US president to hold a patent.
In 1965 a machine was patented to deliver a baby using centrifugal…
In 1965 a machine was patented to deliver a baby using centrifugal force. The machine would spin you until the baby came out, and it would be caught in a net.
Sony has a patent on making viewers yell product names…
Sony has a patent on making viewers yell product names out loud to end TV ads.
When the leading emergency asthma medication Albuterol’s patent…
When the leading emergency asthma medication Albuterol’s patent expired, the patent holding pharmaceutical companies lobbied to have their own inhalers banned based on environmental issues, allowing them to file a new patent, and continue to monopolize the market.
In 1936 a patent for a “flying saucer” …
In 1936 a patent for a “flying saucer” called Aerodina Lenticulara was applied for. The same inventor is also credited by some with the world first jet in 1910. In 1905, he also built a missile-aeroplane for the Romanian Army.
In 1955, Jonas Salk chose not to patent …
In 1955, Jonas Salk chose not to patent his polio vaccine for the betterment of humanity. As a result, he missed out on earning an estimated $7 billion.
Halliburton once tried to patent patenti …
Halliburton once tried to patent patenting.
The genes that cause breast cancer are p …
The genes that cause breast cancer are patented. The patent holder must be paid every time studies and research are done on these genes.