Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Were the Wright Brothers Jerks? Part 2
This video is a follow on to my earlier video discussing the Wright Brothers and their patent on aircraft control, specifically the use of wing warping or ailerons for roll control of an aircraft.
The Wrights submitted and received a patent in 1906 for aircraft roll control. The idea was to generated money for the Wright Brothers thru the use of this patent, as anyone making an airplane needed to use their invention, ailerons.
Patents were included in the US Constitution, and I discuss the differences between a patent, a trademark and a copyright.
The problem with this approach was that the early airplane developers and manufacturers were small outfits. If threatened with legal action from the Wrights, they essentially stopped aircraft development. The stifled US aircraft production and development. When the US entered World War 1 in 1917, the US Army had just 132 aircraft, all obsolete.
Where the Wright Bros. Jerks? Part 1: youtu.be/mLEp7gnUae0
Chapters
00:00 - Intro
00:45 - Overview and introduction
03:46 - Patents and the US Constitution
05:33 - Patents vs. Trademarks vs. Copyright
08:43 - Teddy Roosevelt and Trusts
12:15 - Wright Bros. legal world
16:05 - Enforcement of Wright Patent
18:28 - Patent pool
19:53 - Final thoughts
Were the Wright Brothers Jerks? Part 2
This video is a follow on to my earlier video discussing the Wright Brothers and their patent on aircraft control, specifically the use of wing warping or ailerons for roll control of an aircraft.
The Wrights submitted and received a patent in 1906 for aircraft roll control. The idea was to generated money for the Wright Brothers thru the use of this patent, as anyone making an airplane needed to use their invention, ailerons.
Patents were included in the US Constitution, and I discuss the differences between a patent, a trademark and a copyright.
The problem with this approach was that the early airplane developers and manufacturers were small outfits. If threatened with legal action from the Wrights, they essentially stopped aircraft development. The stifled US aircraft production and development. When the US entered World War 1 in 1917, the US Army had just 132 aircraft, all obsolete.
Where the Wright Bros. Jerks? Part 1: youtu.be/mLEp7gnUae0
Chapters
00:00 - Intro
00:45 - Overview and introduction
03:46 - Patents and the US Constitution
05:33 - Patents vs. Trademarks vs. Copyright
08:43 - Teddy Roosevelt and Trusts
12:15 - Wright Bros. legal world
16:05 - Enforcement of Wright Patent
18:28 - Patent pool
19:53 - Final thoughts
