Seeking the answer to the question "When were cars
invented?" uncovers quite a few notable and surprising
developments in the history of Intellectual Property (IP).
While some nations are more automobile-dependent than others
(particularly the United States), it is still difficult to imagine
how our modern world would function without cars. They should,
without a doubt, be ranked among the most important inventions in
all of human history. No wonder automobile-related patents account
for a major share of the world's overall IP library.
Many believe 1886 to be the specific year cars were invented
because this was when Carl Benz applied for and received a patent
grant for the gasoline-powered automobile he had spent more
than a decade working on. To some extent, this is true, and there
is no way to trace the history of cars without giving Benz credit
for his invention. However, there is much more to the story than
that small nugget of information - not only in
