The Black Flag - 11
In a foreign country, Edison would have undoubtedly received signal honors; in his own
country he has won the respect and admiration of millions; but in his chosen field as an
inventor and as a patentee his reward has been empty. The courts abroad have considered
his patents in a liberal spirit and given him his due; the decisions in this country have
fallen wide of the mark. We make no criticism of our Federal judges; as a body they are
fair, able, and hard- working; but they operate under a system of procedure that stifles
absolutely the development of inventive genius.
Until that system is changed and an opportunity offered for a final, swift, and economical
adjudication of patent rights, American inventors may well hesitate before openly
disclosing their inventions to the public, and may seriously consider the advisability of
retaining them as "trade secrets."
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