At Intellectual Ventures, we believe that inventors play a crucial role in society and our economy. Turns out, the American public does too. In March 2013 and June 2013, during two periods of intense debate over inventor rights in the U.S. patent system, we commissioned real-time polling from Crowdverb to understand where public opinion fell on some of the issues at stake. Here’s what we found when more than 3,600 Americans responded….

1. 59%of
Americans
believe:
Allowing inventors to
patent new technology ideas
increases the pace
of innovation
20%...Maybe
5%...No
22%...No Opinion
That if inventors come up with an idea first
—such as the swipe-to-unlock motion on a smartphone—
they should be allowed to patent it
of
Americans
believe:
2xmore Americans believe:
Inventors
contribute
most to
society
vs.
corporations,
government
organizations,
universities
Believe inventors
should always be
able to enforce their
patent rights and
receive compensation
from the companies
that use them
53%of Americans:
Americans Value Inventors and Their Ideas
Research figures are representative of more than 3,600 American adults polled.
Copyright © 2013 Intellectual Ventures Management, LLC (IV). All rights reserved. Source: Crowdverb: RTP™ Real Time Polling powered by Civic Science, commissioned by Intellectual Ventures, 2013.