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The wide-spread myth that anyone suggested that the United States Patent Office be closed on the grounds that everything useful had already been invented is a mistaken reconstruction of a rhetorical position. At the end of the 19th century, patent applications were on the rise. The Patent Office was seriously underfunded and understaffed for the responsibilities posed by the flood of applications. The director of the Patent Office appeared before Congress to request increased support. In his statement, he suggested that the only basis for leaving things as they were or reducing the budgets would be if one believed that everything useful had already been invented. He never seriously suggested closing the Patent Office. Edison would hardly have made such a suggestion. He was a prolific inventor and filer of patent applications. His massive use of patent protection was an important competitive advantage for the many businesses he created to profit from his inventions, new and modified. -- Ken Friedman, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Leadership and Strategic Design Department of Knowledge Management Norwegian School of Management +47 22.98.50.00 Telephone +47 22.98.51.11 Telefax Home office: +46 (46) 53.245 Telephone +46 (46) 53.345 Telefax email: [log in to unmask] %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%