--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just as James Watt refused to license his…" description: "\"“Just as James Watt refused to license his steam engine, suppressing the development of that technology over the quarter century that elapsed between h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/adam-greenfield-70300_james-watt_just-as-james-watt-refused-to-license-hi_2788026.jpg" --- # Just as James Watt refused to license his steam engine… ![“Just as James Watt refused to license his steam engine, suppressing the development of that technology over the quarter century that elapsed between his first commercial model and the expiry of his patents in 1800, the evolution of digital fabrication has been hobbled by practices aimed at…” quote by Adam Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/adam-greenfield-70300_james-watt_just-as-james-watt-refused-to-license-hi_2788026.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/adam-greenfield-70300_james-watt_just-as-james-watt-refused-to-license-hi_2788026.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/adam-greenfield-70300_james-watt_just-as-james-watt-refused-to-license-hi_2788026.jpg) > ““Just as James Watt refused to license his steam engine, suppressing the development of that technology over the quarter century that elapsed between his first commercial model and the expiry of his patents in 1800, the evolution of digital fabrication has been hobbled by practices aimed at securing a remunerative monopoly.30 During the period that Stratasys enforced its patents, the practice of 3D printing went more or less nowhere. It wasn’t until these patents began to expire, after twenty years of painfully slow progress, that the Cambrian explosion of depositional fabrication devices and things made with them became possible.31”” [Adam Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-greenfield/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Patents delayed 3D printing progress; expiration sparked rapid innovation. **In simple terms:** Patents slowed tech growth. Key Takeaway Advocate open innovation. Themes technology patents innovation Mood analytical optimistic Type technical historical When to use this quote - startup strategy - policy making - manufacturing Key Concepts economics intellectual property Questions to Reflect On - What balance should exist between protection and sharing? - How did patent expiry reshape the industry? A Different Perspective Open access may reduce incentives for invention. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enforced Patents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enforced-patents-3358244/) [Expiry Patents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expiry-patents-3358245/) [James watt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/james-watt/) [Patents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patents/) [Patents Began](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patents-began-3358243/) [Slow progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slow-progress/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Wasn Patents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasn-patents-3358246/) ## Related quotes > [“Is it possible that the Pentateuch could not have been written by uninspired men? that the assistance of God was necessary to produce these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-ingersoll/is-it-possible-that-the-pentateuch-could-not-have-been-written-by/) [Robert G. 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