an inventor; and with regard to petty inventions, Patents not only are superfluous, but noxious. M. Heemskerk, it is true, has rather spoken with a view to great inventions, and the hon. member fancies he has given evident proof that no harm can be done by abolishing Patent-right on the latter. It is these great inventions that the public at large benefits by. He denies M. Heemskerk’s assertion, that in the absence of Patents no capital would be forthcoming for the practical application of an invention, for, pending the tests and experiments an inventor subjects his invention to, no capitalist loans him money. He equally contests what M. H. said about the logic of repealing Copyright, should the Patent-Law be put aside, and that, by doing the latter, violent hands would to a certain extent be laid upon the right of property. The hon. member thinks that no such comparison can be drawn, as the law providing for Copyright does by no means prevent anybody from applying any published work to further development of science. Copyright in no way interferes with public interests. The member for Gorcum has called the project a “reactionary” measure. This will frighten neither him nor us, for it matters little what is _called_ reactionary, but much what _is_ reactionary. The project is closely connected with the historical development of society, and the liberation of labour and industry. The Patent system may be placed upon an equal footing with the exclusive right to discoveries and other similar privileges of yore. We have given up all those things. Each and every benefit derived from them becomes a public one, and so ought every new outlet for trade to be. On these grounds, the hon. member advocates the removal of those impediments.