Buisness and Technology

The article “Innovation, Intrigue, Subterfuge, and the Birth of an Industry” sheds light on the fact that patent filing has hurt inventors and stifled innovation from the very beginning. Basically, Alexander Grahm Bell, the man who was granted with the first telephone patent in 1876, represents how money has corrupted the patent industry. Antonio Meucci’s actually came up with the idea of the telephone first around 1856. However, he was unable to patent his invention because he lacked the funding. Although, some believe he may not have actually understood how the telephone would have worked. Regardless, he could have filled for a design patent at the very least and gotten some sort of recognition. 

On the other hand, Elisha Gray definitely did understand electric telephones an how they worked. He was a prominent American inventor and one of the founders of Western Electric. He invented the liquid transmitter and he would have been recognized for being the first to transmit sound with this technology if it had not been for Bell. Bell and Gray were apparently working on the technology at the same time. Bill found Antonio Meucci’s work on phones and then bribed the USPTO to let him know if any other telephone patents were filed. When Gray’s lawyer filed a partial patent on Feb. 14^th, 1876, Bell filled a full application on the same day. The filings were similar and Bell received the patent, although he had not even fully tested the product.

Reading about this is frustrating as Meucci and Gray deserved to get the patents over Bell but because Bell had a good lawyer and money he was able to manipulate the situation for his own benefit. It is a bit disheartening that even then, patent wars were happening on a smaller scale. The little guy struggled then as he does now. Small start ups are barely able to compete with Apple, Samsung, Google, and the other established giants. 

Furthermore, such a corrupt system makes it less worthwhile for inventors to come up with anything in the first place because they could easily lose their rights to their own products.  People want to profit off of their inventions, but if this doesn't happen even a little recognition goes a long way. Bell should be ashamed of himself.