This week, Stan teaches you about patents. It turns out, they're patently complicated! So, patents have some similarities to copyright, in that they grant a limited monopoly to people who invent things. The key difference between patents and copyright is that patents are for THINGS. Copyright is for an idea. So, if you've come up with a great new invention, like for example, a condiment gun, you should get a patent. We'll also talk about some of the limitations and problems of patents, including patent trolls
Thanks to the following Patrons for their generous monthly contributions that help keep Crash Course free for everyone forever:
Mark Brouwer, Jan Schmid, Steve Marshall, Anna-Ester Volozh, Sandra Aft, Brad Wardell, Christian Ludvigsen, Robert Kunz, Jason, A Saslow, Jacob Ash, Jeffrey Thompson, Jessica Simmons, James Craver, Simun Niclasen, SR Foxley, Roger C. Rocha, Nevin, Spoljaric, Eric Knight, Elliot Beter, Jessica Wode, Pigmy Wurm, Sverre Rabbelier, Liubko Qwert, Denis Anton, Dagongdong-Thorpe, Gwendolyn Gillson, Caleb S Dockter, Tessa Huddleston, Michael Hughes-Narborough, Alex Freeman-Smith
