When an invention is made, the inventor has three possible

courses of action opening to him: he can give the invention to the 【M1】________

world by publishing it, keep the idea secret, or patent it.

A granted patent is the result of a bargain strike between an inventor 【M2】________

and the state, by which the inventor gets a limited period of monopoly

and publishes full details of his invention to the public after that

period terminates. Only in the most exceptional circumstances the 【M3】________

lifespan of a patent extended to alter this normal process of events.

Because a patent remains temporarily public after it has terminated, 【M4】________

the shelves of the library attached to the patent office contain details

of literal millions of ideas that are free for anyone to use and, if older 【M5】________

than half a century, sometimes even patent. Indeed, patent experts often 【M6】________

advise anyone wishing to avoid the high cost of conducting a search

through lively patents that the one sure way of avoiding violation of 【M7】________

any other inventor’s right is to plagiarize a dead patent. However, 【M8】________

because publication of an idea in any other form permanently validates

further patents on that idea, it is traditionally safe to take ideas from

other areas of print. Much modem technological advance is based on

these presumptions of legal security.

Anyone closely involved in patents and inventions soon learns that

most “new” ideas are, in fact, as very old as the hills. It is their reduction to 【M9】________

commercial practice, either through necessity or dedication, or through

the availability of new technology, makes news and money. 【M10】________

【M4】