How Patents Work: From Magic 8-Balls to DNA

CrashCourse

This installment of Crash Course Intellectual Property dives deep into the complex world of Patent Law. Host Stan Muller explains the fundamental trade-off of patents: the government grants a temporary monopoly to an inventor in exchange for the public disclosure of how the invention works. The video traces the history of patents from 15th-century Venice to the US Constitution, establishing the economic rationale behind protecting intellectual property.