Synopsis
Recent Discussions On The Abolition Of Patents For Inventions In The United Kingdom, France, Germany, And The Netherlands: Evidence, Speeches, And Papers In Its Favour by Robert Andrew Macfie. This volume compiles a broad range of testimonies, speeches, petitions, and articles advocating the abolition or drastic reform of patent rights across several nations. It assembles a Preface and extensive notes, remarks, and papers including Macfie’s own speech and motions in Parliament, petitions from industry bodies, and responses from continental economists and statesmen. The collection engages with the history and operation of patent systems, contrasts British, Dutch, Prussian, French, and Swiss approaches, and argues that monopolies in inventions impede free trade and general welfare. It proposes alternatives such as international arrangements and national rewards, and critiques the moral and economic foundations of patent law. It also discusses copyright’s relationship to patents, the costs and abuses of litigation, and the practical implications for workers, manufacturers, and government policy. The work argues for abolition or radical reform as a means to unleash innovation and expand industrial and commercial freedom.
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