Even though Benjamin Franklin is credited with many popular inventions, he never patented or copyrighted any of them. He believed that they should be given freely and that claiming ownership would only cause trouble and “sour one’s Temper and disturb one’s Quiet.”
Benjamin Franklin Never Sought a Patent or Copyright It’s fairly common knowledge that Ben Franklin, a member of the Committee of Five responsible for the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, was one of America’s first great entrepreneurs. From an extremely humble background (the youngest son of 17 children of a candle-maker), his businesses and …
