The television picture invention

A 14-year-old farm boy named Philo Farnsworth looked out over freshly plowed potato fields and saw something no one else had: a blueprint for the future of television. In 1922, he sketched a system where images could be broken down into lines of light and transmitted electronically—an idea that mirrors exactly how TVs operate today.

By 21, Farnsworth built the first fully functional electronic television. When RCA, the biggest name in radio and technology, tried to steal credit for his invention, Farnsworth’s high school teacher brought out his original sketch as proof. In 1935, the young inventor defeated the corporate giant, securing his place as the true father of television. 📺🚜

Sources: Philo Farnsworth, Television’s Birth: My Story; RCA patent trial records; Smithsonian National Museum of American History
#PhiloFarnsworth #InventionOfTelevision #TechHistory

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DeWayfarer · 61-69, M

Sadly today they forced being bought out for the copyright rights.

Even actually paying extra to extend the copyright.

They started this practice in the 1970s.

In the 1920s and 30s a copyright could only be held for twenty eight years. Then it became public domain. After 1909 it changed from seven years.

RCA and all the other big corporations won out in the end.

AI generated

In 1976, the Copyright Act was revised, extending the duration of copyright protection to the life of the author plus 50 years (later extended to 70 years for works created after January 1, 1978).

For works created by "corporations", the duration is 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever is shorter.

As a result, many works that were published in the early 20th century are still under copyright today, depending on when they were published and whether the copyright was renewed.

Works enter the public domain when their copyright expires, but the rules governing this have evolved significantly over the years.