History
In the 17th and 18th centuries, patent examination in France for novelty and utility was performed by the private French Academy under commission from the French government. The Academy sought the input of outside experts in the specific fields of the inventions. Galileo, for example, was consulted when a patent was applied for on a new method of determining longitude by measuring the position of the moon. Galileo’s conclusion was that the method would work in principle, but the measuring techniques were not accurate enough to provide meaningful results. A patent, therefore, was denied.
Read more about this topic: Public Participation In Patent Examination
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