The United States Patent System and Engineering Education: An Alliance for Innovation

While the patent system has long been a neglected tool in the education of American engineers, this essay presents five propositions that support the notion that an understanding of patents should be an integral part of the education of every engineer who practices in the United States. The essay first lays a philosophical and historical foundation that explains the role of the patent system in a competitive free-market society and how it influences the behavior of those who seek to innovate. Then, an upper-level design course that heavily utilizes the patent literature and provides a foundation for understanding the role of patents in American industry is discussed in detail. This course has been used over many years at the George Washington University and includes analysis of many of the ethical dilemmas facing engineers in the heat of competition, some of which are discussed in this essay. This essay concludes with a discussion of why the role of patents in engineering education should increase in the twenty-first century.