The Barbed Wire Patent

To answer this they considered for some length the process for producing barbed wire prior to this invention and compared it to Glidden's design.

Glidden claimed that his process of adding an extra wire to stabilize the barbs without any other means made them sufficiently stronger and more efficient.

The majority of the court was convinced that Glidden's invention proved to have enough novelty and technological change to merit the patent and thus exclusive rights to produce and sell the improved barbed wire without the need for licensing.

The first-to-file aspect was largely supported in that whichever party can prove they filed an invention first will have a greater claim over other manufacturers and better their chances of receiving a patent.

[1][2] Glidden held sole rights to sell the product and thus established the Barb Fence Company, in Dekalb, Illinois.