Stories From The Stacks

Did the American independent inventor ever go extinct? In his new book, American Independent Inventors In An Era of Corporate R&D, Eric S. Hintz argues that they persisted despite the development of corporate R&D during the twentieth century. In his new book Hintz explores the relationship between independent inventors and corporate R&D departments. While corporate R&D departments did eventually supplant independent inventors in terms of annual patents per year, independent inventors never faded away. Corporate R&D labs often benefited from larger budgets, and stronger political connections than independent inventors. Still, this relationship wasn’t strictly adversarial, often times corporate labs found themselves working with independent inventors, whether by licensing their patents or bringing them on as temporary consultants. For more Hagley History Hangouts, and more information about the Center for the History of Business, Technology, & Society at the Hagley Museum & Library, visit www.hagley.org.