Non-Muslim Inventors Obtained Certificates Of Invention And Certificates In The Ottoman Empire

Abstract

As a result of the development of new production techniques following the Industrial Revolution, the number of steam-powered machines gradually increased, and issues such as the registration of inventions and inventors' patent rights came to the fore. During this period, patent laws were enacted in many European countries to secure the legal rights of inventors and to provide a legal basis for issues relating to inventors. In this regard, the Ottoman Empire enacted a patent law in 1879 based on the French patent law (1844) to protect the legal rights of inventors and to meet the patent needs of foreign inventors.  The patent law, which played a very important role in the progress and development of the Ottoman Empire, is an important step in laying the necessary legal infrastructure for the Industrial Property Rights of today's modern Republic of Turkey. In addition to Muslim inventors, non-Muslim inventors who were Ottoman citizens also filed applications under this law. The non-Muslim inventors who sometimes applied to the Ottoman authorities with very interesting and bizarre inventions were always encouraged and welcomed with understanding and acceptance for the sake of developing the country's industry and technology. Inventions submitted to the authorities were taken seriously, and even those that seemed trivial and simple were examined scientifically and technically. Non-Muslim inventors completed the application process to obtain certificates of invention and certificates invented many products that served the society as well as inventions for the benefit of the public and the government. Inventors may not have been able to develop inventions that would change the fate of their countries and contribute to the advancement of world technology. However, considering many factors such as the country's economic situation, social structure and mentality, education system, and the level of industry and technology, it can be seen that the inventors have a very good level of technological knowledge and skills. As a result, local inventors have been able to create inventions in various categories by successfully applying technical know-how and technology transfer.