Instead of seeking protection in the law, he sought it by subterfuge

We haven't even got to Farmer Buckley's Exploding Underpants yet, but the book continues to surprise and delight.

Last night Elena and I read a chapter on the invention of a machine to manufacture gold paint, which actually uses brass. For centuries the paint had been manufactured in Nuremberg using a laborious and expensive process. Henry Bessemer, later famous for inventing a process for the mass production of steel,  invented a machine to take out most of the labour cost. Even more remarkable than the machine, were his tactics to keep its design a secret.

He realised that a patent would mean publishing the details of the design, and unscrupulous competitors would copy it and make more than enough money before they were closed down. Instead of seeking protection in the law, he sought it by subterfuge. He used different manufacturers for the parts of the machine and assembled it in three rooms. Crank shafts plunged through holes in the walls keeping it connected. The building that housed it had one door and one window. Nobody could copy it, because nobody knew how the whole machine worked.

An entrepreneurial friend of mine still uses these tactics, ordering parts from various manufacturers at home and in China, and assembling his invention in his windowless garage.