In this book, Nathaniel Southgate Shaler explores the nature of intellectual property and its importance to society. He argues that intellectual property is essential to the progress of science and the arts, and that without it, society would be deprived of important innovations. Shaler's arguments are still relevant today in discussions of intellectual property and copyright law. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.