A closer look
Elias Howe didn't just invent the sewing machine; he practically invented modern patent trolling. After winning a brutal legal war against Isaac Singer, Howe formed the Sewing Machine Combination—the first patent pool in US history. To ensure he got his cut, he mandated that every single competitor's machine sold had to bear a physical royalty stamp, proving he was paid his extortion fee. It was an ingenious, petty, and highly visible tax on innovation that made Howe obscenely rich without having to manufacture anything himself.
