342 ACTION ON THE PATENT QUESTION. 



fruit in other fields. It took however a long time 

 before the imperial government resolved to take legis- 

 lative action in the matter. I fancy that a memorial, 

 which as president of the Patent Protection Union I 

 addressed to the imperial Chancellor, had a consider- 

 able influence on the decision for the promulgation 

 of an imperial patent -law. In this memorial I laid 

 stress on the inferior condition and the slight esti- 

 mation of German industry, its productions being every- 

 where styled "cheap and nasty"; and at the same 

 time I pointed out that a new firm bond for the young 

 German empire would be created, if thousands of manu- 

 facturers and engineers from all parts of the country 

 could find in the institutions of the empire the long 

 desired protection for their intellectual property. 



In the year 1876 a meeting of manufacturers as 

 well as of administrative officials and judges was called 

 together from all Germany, which made the draft of 

 the Patent Protection Union the definite basis of their 

 deliberations. The bill resulting from these deliberations 

 was adopted by the Reichstag with a few modifications, 

 and has very materially contributed to strengthen Ger- 

 man industry, and procure respect for its productions 

 both at home and abroad. Our industry has since 

 been on the best way to lose in almost all its branches 

 the stigma of "cheap and nasty", which Professor 

 Reuleaux rightly gave to its productions at the Phila- 

 delphia Exhibition in 1876. 



