Why Seek a Patent?
Because if you don’t, someone else will before too long!
Why bother going through the time and cost of patenting your idea? The answer is simple, you should seek patent protection for your concept because if you don’t someone else eventually will. In Part 1 of this series we discussed how Alexander Graham Bell was not the first to invent the telephone. However he was the first to patent it, earning his place in history.
Edison DID NOT Invent The Light Bulb
Thomas Edison patented the idea of the electric light bulb in 1879, but the light bulb had already been used for 35 years.
It was Humphry Davy who first created the concept in 1804. It was Jean Foucault who first made the device, and actually used them to light up a Paris Avenue in 1844. And it was Joseph William Swan who made light bulbs in the exact format that Edison did, and 10 months before him.
However, it was Edison who actually patented the idea, which awarded him fame, fortune, and a place in history.
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