Poems in Steel. Kees Gispen, New York, Oxford: Berghahn Books, 2002, Hardback, $75/£50, ISBN...
1
are three figures—see Fig. 1 here for example—and eight plates of photographs. In summary, an interesting and authoritative re-ap- praisal of one of the pivotal inventions of the 20th Cen- tury and of its brilliant, charismatic and sometimes temperamental inventor. Good value. Michael Blackman 45 Kenwood Drive Beckenham Kent, BR3 6QY United Kingdom E-mail address: [email protected] Poems in Steel. Kees Gispen, New York, Oxford: Berghahn Books, 2002, Hardback, $75/£50, ISBN 1- 57181-242-3; paperback, $27.50/£18.50, ISBN 1-57181- 303-9 Patents are of great interest to those in the IP indus- try but it must be acknowledged that they seldom im- pinge on the general political debate. However, Gispen has written about Germany in the 1860–1960 period where it was sometimes very different. As background, in the 1850–1875 period in the UK and elsewhere there were serious high level attempts to abolish the Patent system and, as part of this, there was continuous debate on the role of inventors. Were they merely cogs in the inevitable advance of science and technology or ‘‘heroic inventors’’ deserving of spe- cial rewards for their unique achievements, i.e. patent monopolies? Abolition was effectively a dead issue after 1875 (though Holland and Switzerland took a long time to conform to the general concensus) but this construc- tion of the ‘‘heroic inventor’’ continues to bedevil dis- cussion of inventor rights. This was particularly true in Germany where, after national unification in 1871, a strong patent law was passed in 1877 which, under the influence of Werner von Siemens, was particularly beneficial to corporations who employed inventors. Indeed it is probably no coin- cidence that the phenomenon of corporate research departments first really appeared shortly afterwards in the highly successful German dyestuffs industry which acted as a world-wide model for the massive expansion of corporate research after 1900. Nevertheless there was a widespread feeling from all parts of the political spectrum that inventors were being exploited by the rapidly expanding corporate giants, especially given the ‘‘heroic inventor’’ beliefs then current. For example, Gispen quotes Max Eyth a well known 19th century engineer poet who portrayed the inventor as: The genius whose flashes of insight propel human his- tory, as the archetypal Promethean, made in the ‘‘image of the Creator, a being in which God has placed a spark of His own creative power’’. 1 Given this background Gispen explores the continu- ous political struggle from the 1880Õs onwards to make German patent law more favourable to inventors rather than their employers. This was still a live issue in the 1920Õs, despite the Weimar RepublicÕs multiplicity of other problems, and culminated in a more inventor friendly Patent Law in 1936. Despite regime change, many of these ideas were embodied in the 1957 Patent Law with its favourable treatment of employee inventors. It is very unusual to find a serious book on the history of patent systems which is not, at the same time, an excellent cure for insomnia. Gispen is a definite excep- tion and, apart from its detailed coverage of a serious historical issue, is also a very good read. Highly recommended. EditorÕs note: The reviewer also mentioned another review of this book 2 as providing some different per- spectives which may be of interest to readers. Brian Spear 36 Forest Approach Woodford Green Essex IG8 9BS, UK E-mail address: [email protected] doi:10.1016/j.wpi.2004.09.003 1 Gispen Poems in Steel p. 4. 2 By Jeffrey Fear, in the Summer 2003 issue of ÔBusiness History ReviewÕ. doi:10.1016/j.wpi.2004.10.003 Book reviews / World Patent Information 27 (2005) 63–67 65
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Transcript of Poems in Steel. Kees Gispen, New York, Oxford: Berghahn Books, 2002, Hardback, $75/£50, ISBN...
are three figures—see Fig. 1 here for example—and eight
plates of photographs.
In summary, an interesting and authoritative re-ap-
praisal of one of the pivotal inventions of the 20th Cen-
tury and of its brilliant, charismatic and sometimes
temperamental inventor. Good value.
Michael Blackman
45 Kenwood Drive
Beckenham
Kent, BR3 6QY
United Kingdom
E-mail address: [email protected]
Poems in Steel. Kees Gispen, New York, Oxford:
Berghahn Books, 2002, Hardback, $75/£50, ISBN 1-
57181-242-3; paperback, $27.50/£18.50, ISBN 1-57181-
303-9
Patents are of great interest to those in the IP indus-
try but it must be acknowledged that they seldom im-
pinge on the general political debate. However, Gispen
has written about Germany in the 1860–1960 periodwhere it was sometimes very different.
As background, in the 1850–1875 period in the UK
and elsewhere there were serious high level attempts to
abolish the Patent system and, as part of this, there
was continuous debate on the role of inventors. Were
they merely cogs in the inevitable advance of science
and technology or ‘‘heroic inventors’’ deserving of spe-
cial rewards for their unique achievements, i.e. patentmonopolies? Abolition was effectively a dead issue after
1875 (though Holland and Switzerland took a long time
to conform to the general concensus) but this construc-
tion of the ‘‘heroic inventor’’ continues to bedevil dis-
cussion of inventor rights.
This was particularly true in Germany where, after
national unification in 1871, a strong patent law was
passed in 1877 which, under the influence of Wernervon Siemens, was particularly beneficial to corporations
who employed inventors. Indeed it is probably no coin-
cidence that the phenomenon of corporate research
departments first really appeared shortly afterwards in
the highly successful German dyestuffs industry which
acted as a world-wide model for the massive expansion
of corporate research after 1900. Nevertheless there
was a widespread feeling from all parts of the politicalspectrum that inventors were being exploited by the
rapidly expanding corporate giants, especially given
the ‘‘heroic inventor’’ beliefs then current. For example,
Gispen quotes Max Eyth a well known 19th century
engineer poet who portrayed the inventor as:
The genius whose flashes of insight propel human his-tory, as the archetypal Promethean, made in the ‘‘imageof the Creator, a being in which God has placed a sparkof His own creative power’’. 1
Given this background Gispen explores the continu-
ous political struggle from the 1880�s onwards to make
German patent law more favourable to inventors rather
than their employers. This was still a live issue in the
1920�s, despite the Weimar Republic�s multiplicity of
other problems, and culminated in a more inventor
friendly Patent Law in 1936. Despite regime change,
many of these ideas were embodied in the 1957 PatentLaw with its favourable treatment of employee
inventors.
It is very unusual to find a serious book on the history
of patent systems which is not, at the same time, an
excellent cure for insomnia. Gispen is a definite excep-
tion and, apart from its detailed coverage of a serious
historical issue, is also a very good read. Highly
recommended.Editor�s note: The reviewer also mentioned another
review of this book 2 as providing some different per-
spectives which may be of interest to readers.
Brian Spear
36 Forest Approach
Woodford Green
Essex IG8 9BS, UK
E-mail address: [email protected]
doi:10.1016/j.wpi.2004.09.003
1Gispen Poems in Steel p. 4.2By Jeffrey Fear, in the Summer 2003 issue of �Business History
Review�.doi:10.1016/j.wpi.2004.10.003
Book reviews / World Patent Information 27 (2005) 63–67 65
