340 ACTION ON THE PATENT QUESTION. 



more , the then dominant thoroughgoing Free Trade 

 party regarded the patenting of inventions as a relic 

 of the old monopoly rights, and incompatible with the 

 principles of Free Trade. In this sense a circular 

 letter was sent in the summer of 1863 by the Prussian 

 Minister of Commerce to all the chambers of commerce 

 of the state, in which the uselessness, nay even inju- 

 riousness of the patent system was set forth and finally 

 the question propounded, whether the time had not 

 come to abolish it entirely. This led me to draw up 

 a memorial to the Berlin Chamber of Commerce, the 

 council of Berlin merchants, which adopted the dia- 

 metrically opposite point of view, to set forth the 

 necessity and utility of a patent -law for the promotion 

 of the industry of the country, and to sketch the out- 

 lines of a rational patent -law. 



My detailed statement was approved by the 

 Council, although the latter consisted of very pro- 

 nounced free traders. It was unanimously adopted 

 as the opinion of the Chamber of Commerce , and at 

 the same time communicated to the other chambers 

 of commerce of the state. Of the latter those, which 

 had not yet sent in a reply assenting to the abolition 

 of patents, expressed their sympathy w r ith the Berlin 

 decision, and as a consequence the proposal for abo- 

 lition was abandoned. 



This favourable result afterwards encouraged me 

 to initiate a serious agitation for the introduction of an 

 imperial patent -law, on the basis proposed by me. 

 I sent a circular to a considerable number of men, 



