Re invention, in the late 1800s it was mostly done by private, individual inventors, not corporations. Companies would buy patents from inventors once a the invention worked, and then commercialize it. Edison’s lab was unusual, a first. The corporate R&D lab got going in the early to mid-1900s. Some more context:
Re invention, in the late 1800s it was mostly done by private, individual inventors, not corporations. Companies would buy patents from inventors once a the invention worked, and then commercialize it. Edison’s lab was unusual, a first. The corporate R&D lab got going in the early to mid-1900s. Some more context:
https://www.worksinprogress.co/issue/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-american-rd-lab/
The Changing Structure of American Innovation: Some Cautionary Remarks for Economic Growth