The development of new inventions is promoted by the
granting of patent rights, which restrict the right of
anyone but the patent holders to profit from these
inventions for a specified period. Without patent rights,
anyone could simply copy another’s invention;
consequently, inventors would have no financial
incentive for investing the time and energy required to
develop new products. Thus, it is important to continue
to grant patent rights, or else no one will engage in
original development and consequently no new
inventions will be forthcoming.
Which one of the following is an assumption on which
the argument depends?
(A) Financial reward is the only incentive that will
be effective in motivating people to develop
new inventions.
(B) When an inventor sells patent rights to a
manufacturer, the manufacturer makes less total
profit on the invention than the inventor does.
(C) Any costs incurred by a typical inventor in
applying for patent rights are insignificant in
comparison to the financial benefit of holding
the patent rights.
(D) Patent rights should be granted only if an
inventor’s product is not similar to another
invention already covered by patent rights.
(E) The length of a patent right is usually
proportional to the costs involved in inventing
the product.