June 26 - Inventions and Patents Day

Posted on June 26, 2021

Key points

This is an update of my post published June 26, 2010:

On this date in 1498, the toothbrush invented in China.

On this date in 1819, the first U.S. patent for a velocipede – an early version of the bicycle—was awarded to William K. Clarkson, Jr., of New York.

On this date in 1894, the first U.S. patent for a gas-driven auto was awarded to Karl Benz of Germany.

A patent is a country’s promise that an inventor has exclusive rights to his invention for a limited period of time. This means that somebody can’t buy a product, study it, and exactly copy it to sell it and make money. However, people can reinvent things, making improvements and changes, and be rewarded with their own patent as well as the right to make and sell their unique version of the product.

After a while, a company’s patent expires, and the invention is free for everyone to copy and manufacture. However, some aspects of a company’s product may be covered by copyright. Note: it is not always easy to enforce a patent or a copyright – especially if the copy-cat company is located in a country that doesn’t honor such niceties!