Signor Marconi's Magic Box: The Most Remarkable Invention of the 19th Century and the Amateur Inventor Whose Genius Sparked a Revolution.

• Author: Williamson, John M.
• Position: Book Review

Signor Marconi's Magic Box: The Most Remarkable Invention of the 19th Century & the Amateur Inventor Whose Genius Sparked a Revolution, Gavin Weightman, Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Press, 2003, 312 pages.

"For all I know the basic assumption of our patent law may be false, and inventors and their financial backers do not need the incentive of a limited monopoly to stimulate invention." (1)

These sentiments concerning U.S. patent law were set out in 1943 by Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter in his dissent to the majority's decision invalidating certain Marconi patents during a consequential patent dispute between the Marconi Corporation and the United States. Contrary to Justice Frankfurter's opinion, Gavin Weightman's colorful biography of the charismatic, Nobel Prize winning inventor Guglielmo Marconi and his pioneering turn-of-the-century invention suggests that patent rights provided critical incentives and protections throughout Marconi's work. Indeed, even parts of the Supreme Court's 1943 opinion acknowledge a host of early twentieth century patent opinions, issued from U.S. courts as well as from courts abroad, both establishing Marconi as the inventor of electromagnetic wireless communication and recognizing the importance of Marconi's patents in the field. (2)

Weightman's book (3) is not primarily concerned with patents, intellectual property, telecommunications law, or innovation policy. It does not track or comment upon the complex contemporary legal and economic developments bearing upon innovation in the telecommunications industry. Rather, it is an important and entertaining historical account, exposing the details and struggles behind the accomplishments of one of the industry's most influential and successful innovators. Although not written for limited professional audiences, telecommunication industry professionals will greatly appreciate this book and the remarkable parallels between the challenges faced by Marconi during the turn of the century, and those faced by today's pioneering telecommunications innovators. Moreover, the book offers industry professionals a significant historical perspective relevant to present day debates over the direction of innovation policy and its application to the telecommunications industry.

Above all else, the biography paints a picture of a perseverant inventor in relentless pursuit of an objective technical goal: the transmission of wireless Morse code signals across greater and...