World Intellectual Property Day

On Friday, April 26, Intellectual Property Day was celebrated worldwide to honor those innovative individuals whose thoughts, ideas, and accomplishments have enriched our daily lives. In America, we celebrate Alexander Graham Bell, Albert  Einstein, Thomas Edison, George Eastman and many, many others.

In China, it was inventor Ts’ai Lun who, in 105 AD, gave the world a mass production process for papermaking. At least four other key inventions came from the minds of Chinese inventors in ancient times: block printing, the compass, gunpowder and the noodle. Today, the legacy continues with an innovative line of LED-based electrophotographic printers from the genius of Dr. Bobo Wang and his Aetas organization.

England credits Sir Isaac Newton for his contributions to the field of mathematics while the Fourdrinier brothers are honored for today’s high-speed fourdrinier paper machines which are at the heart of most paper mills. From Slovenia and the USA, Nikola Tesla, gave the world the Tesla coil, the AC motor, and efficient transmission of high voltage electricity using AC rather than direct current.

In Germany, Karl Benz invented the first practical automobile.  From Russia’s Dmitri Mendeleev came the periodic  table of the elements, while Nikolay Basov and Alexander Prokhorov co-invented the laser and the maser, and Mikhail Kalashnikov created the AK-47 assault rifle.

This very brief overview reveals that no nation and no region has a monopoly on invention, The creative human mind transcends borders, races and religions. But in most cases, it benefits everyone as a result of advances in medicine, science and industry.

For this reason, we honor our inventors with Intellectual Property Day to show our appreciation for the fruits of their extraordinary mental capabilities and each astounding achievement that continues to serve us as their precious legacy down through the years.