Leo Baekeland's Transatlantic Struggle for Bakelite

Patenting Inside and Outside of America

Bibliographic Data

ID4817568
AuthorsJoris Mercelis (0000-0002-1368-6086, corresponding author)
Year2012
Volume53
Issue2
Pages366-400
Publication date2012-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueTechnology and Culture (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0040-165X • E-ISSN: 1097-3729
PublisherProject MUSE (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1353/tech.2012.0067
OpenAlexW2082831158
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited21

This article analyzes Leo Baekeland's efforts to secure patent protection on "Bakelite," the synthetic plastic resin that he invented in 1907, and to exploit the resulting intellectual property rights. It connects the transfer of Baekeland's intellectual property (IP) to a German-based company with Baekeland's entrepreneurial choices and IP record in the United States. It also shows that Baekeland's experiences with European patent regimes shaped his criticism of the U.S. model. His attempts to address perceived shortcomings of the U.S. patent regime, however, did not lead to a satisfactory outcome

Archaeology · Business · Computer security · Criticism · Exploit · German · Intellectual property · International trade · Law and economics · Political science · Sociology · Computer Science · History · Law · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy

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