He was granted over 550 patents, making him one of the 20th Century 's five most prolific inventors. Lemelson received an average of one patent a month for more than 40 years, for high-tech concepts that translated into automated Warehouse s, industrial Robot s, Cordless Telephone s, Fax Machine s, Videocassette Recorder s, Camcorder s and the Magnetic Tape Drive used in Sony 's Walkman Tape Player s.
He was also famous for his controversial use of . On November 16 , 2005, the full court declined to review the case, but, citing "prejudice to the public as a whole," extended the original unenforcability ruling to ''all'' claims under the patents in question. {Link without Title} .
"To his many detractors, (...) Lemelson's patents were in fact worthless. Lemelson, they say, was one of the great Fraud s of the 20th Century " {Link without Title} . To his proponents,
"(...), Jerome Lemelson a great philanthropist, [but the value of his charitable work could not possibly match the value of his contributions to American society as an innovator and entrepreneur." [http://www.policyreview.org/jul96/bless.html]
Lemelson was a strong proponent of the independent inventor, and used a large percentage of his wealth to found the Lemelson Foundation , whose mission is to "promote and encourage inventors in the United States and in the developing world". To date the Foundation has given over 90 million dollars to numerous programs supporting inventors, innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Lemelson-MIT Prize , endowed in 1994 by Jerome Lemelson is awarded to inventors from the United States for outstanding achievement. The winner receives $500,000, making it the largest Invention prize. The Lemelson Foundation also supports the National Collegiate Inventors And Innovators Alliance , and the Lemelson Center for the Study of Innovation and Invention at the Smithsonian Museum , among other programs. The Lemelson Foundation is devoting a significant part of its charitable giving for the Invention for Sustainable Development Program. This program fosters and unleashes human creativity and invention to meet basic human needs and build sustainable livelihoods for the world’s poor people.
- "''Breaking the (Bar) Code. The fabled Lemelson patents won't scan anymore. How Jesse Jenner brought down a billion dollar licensing empire.''", by Susan Hansen, IP Law & Business/March 2004 {Link without Title}
- "''Dead Patents Walking Loopholes in the patent process exploited by Jerome Lemelson, one of the most prolific inventors of all time, may be finally closing in on him''", by William F. Heinze, Thomas, Kayden, Horstemeyer, and Risley, IEEE Spectrum {Link without Title}
- "''The Patent King''" from Fortune Magazine (May 14, 2001) can be downloaded from the Cognex Website
- "''Lemelson-MIT winner stripped of prize''" (satire) page 10 of MIT VooDoo, Spring 2002
- "''Lone Wolf of the Sierras''" winner, 1995 Design News "Engineer of the Year" competition. {Link without Title}
- "''An Independent Inventor''" published in American Scientist magazine, May 1998. {Link without Title}
- "''Lemelson Foundation to Fund 'Sustainable Invention' in Developing World''" Philanthropy News Digest {Link without Title}
- "''Expanding Reach of Patent Prizes''" NYTimes April 26, 2004 {Link without Title}
- "''Member- New Jersey's Inventors Hall of Fame''" {Link without Title}
- "''Third World Inventions:how a prolific inventor continues to promote invention even after his death through charitable giving.''" The Osgood File (CBS Radio Network): 8/2/05 {Link without Title}
- "''Successes in rural inventions''" BBC News 8 July, 2005 {Link without Title}
- "'' Jerome Lemelson posthumously inducted into the order of James Smithson" {Link without Title}
- "'' Lemelson group boosts grants for innovation: Portland Business Journal Jan 16,2004" {Link without Title}
- "'' Congressman Earl Blumenauer's congressional floor speech on The Water For The Poor Act and its relation to Jerome Lemelson and the Lemelson Foundation''" {Link without Title}
- "'' Letter from America: Turning out gadgets for a $2-a-day multitude''" International Herald Tribune January 1, 2006 {Link without Title}
- "'' Jerome Lemelson is America's most prolific living inventor; now he's giving a leg up to others''" Smithsonian Magazine July 1996 {Link without Title}
- "'' Jerome Lemelson: The Inventors Hero/ {Link without Title}
- "'' A lifetime of invention''" Portland Business Journal {Link without Title}
Company managers know that the odds of an inventor being able to afford the costly litigation are less than one in ten; and even if the suit is brought, four times out of five the courts will hold the patent invalid. When the royalties are expected to exceed the legal expense, it makes good business sense to attack the patent... we don't recognize that the consequence of the legal destruction of patents is a decline in innovation...
::-Lemelson, 1975, in a Senate hearing investigating the innovation crisis, cited in Tom Wolfe's (1987, p. 311) Land of Wizards essay about the life work and struggles of Jerome Lemelson {Link without Title}
- The Lemelson Foundation web site
- Jerome Lemelson biography on The Lemelson Foundation official web site
- National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance
- Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
- Inventing for the Environment. Publication of the Lemelson Center at the Smithsonian
- A tribute to Jerome Lemelson on the inventionconvention.com web site
- Lemelson-MIT Program
- Inventing Modern America: From the Microwave to the Mouse. publication of the Lemelson-MIT program
- Lemelson Assistive Technology Development Center
- The Lemelson Center for Invention, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Nevada, Reno
- Minority Introduction to Engineering, Entrepreneurship, and Science at MIT funded by a major grant from the Lemelson Foundation
- The African-American Male Achievers Network, Inc. (A-MAN)funded by a major grant from the Lemelson Foundation
- Lemelson recognition and mentoring program in India
- Invention for Sustainable Development Program: A portfolio of programs in the developing world that use invention and innovation for basic human needs and sustainable development funded by the Lemelson Foundation
- Lemelson Foundation funds Cambia, an open source biotech organization, to develop and disseminate bio-sentinel rice varieties that will empower farmers to effectively detect soil nutrient deficiency or attacks by pests on crops
- Lemelson Foundation funds PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health) to develop innovative and affordable reproductive technologies for women in the developing world
- Lemelson Foundation funs that manufacturing and distribution of Approtech's well-drilling and treadle pump technologies used by some of the poorest farmers in Kenya
- Lemelson Foundation funds innovative program to provide safe water and sanitation for people in Indonesia's Aceh region who survived the December 2004 tsunami disaster
- Lemelson Foundation funds the manufacturing, distribution and retail supply chains for innovative, locally produced low cost drip irrigation kits used by very poor farmers throughout India.
- Lemelson Foundation funds Emergence Energy for its innovative technology for small-scale energy production and distribution in Bangladesh
- Lemelson Foundation funds EnterpriseWorks Worldwide, for inventions developed in Senegal as local solutions to economic, environmental, and quality of life challenges
- The Lemelson Foundation funds research and case study projects exploring how micro-finance institutions can help grow innovative developing-country enterprises
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