Patents and patentees in the Dutch republic between c.1580 and 1720

Abstract

This paper examines the working of the patent system in the Dutch Republic during the period when the incidence of patenting reached its peak, between around 1580 and 1720. It looks at the system primarily from the viewpoint of the patent‐holders, by analyzing the geographical background and social profile of patentees, the evolution of careers of patenting and the growth of commercial tendencies in the obtainment and exploitation of patents. It is argued that the development in the Netherlands in these respects resembled the evolution in England rather than that in France or the United States, but that in contrast with England the practice of patenting in the Dutch Republic to some extent fell into disuse. A turning point was reached around 1640. While the number of patents granted by the States General and the States of Holland began a long‐term decline and the filing of specifications became a more and more rare occurrence, the relative importance of “multiple” patentees diminished, the geographical spread of patentees lessened and the role of the commercial and professional classes increased. Although a decrease in the number of patents did not necessarily reflect a falling‐off in the rate of invention, it certainly meant a decline in the demand for patents on the side of inventors. The author suggests that this decline must at least in part have been induced by the evolution of the patent system itself.