As we celebrate World Bicycle Day tomorrow, Louise Brunero of Solubility shares some IP aspects of this most durable invention.
Undoubtedly the bicycle is one of the greatest inventions related to social mobility, providing people of varying financial capacity with a personal means for moving beyond the boundaries of their communities and towns with relative ease. In 2018 the United Nations declared 3 June as World Bicycle Day to celebrate the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle and promote it as a simple, affordable, reliable, clean, sustainable and fun means of transportation.
As IP lawyers, World Bicycle Day also presents an opportunity to acknowledge the amazing human ingenuity that lead to the creation of the modern day bicycle and the long patent history which has assisted its development spanning back to 1866 and the Pedal ‘Velocipede’ Patent which saw the first attempts to add a driving mechanism attached to pedals to the two wheeled vehicles commonly used in that day.
The humble bicycle has had its fair share of patent attention over the years, and showing that innovation has no bounds, some of its quirkier reiterations have even made it to the World Intellectual Property Organizations’ own ‘Weird and Wonderful’ list of out of the ordinary patents. Really, who can argue with the practicality of the John O Lose’s 1885 ‘One-Wheeled Vehicle’ design complete with an umbrella to keep the rider dry in wet weather?
And a favourite pick of the team here at Solubility would be the 1905 ‘Double Bicycle for Looping the Loop’. No umbrella, but a sure-fire way to impress at the local bike track.
So, whether you are a regular cyclist, a weekend lover of Lycra, or a sometimes commuter looking for inspiration to dust off your pedals and get in the saddle to avoid what is tipped to be gridlock city traffic post COVID-19 hibernation, there’s lots of reasons to get on your bike and celebrate World Bicycle Day tomorrow!
From all of us here at Solubility, happy and safe pedalling!
If you would like legal assistance for your business such as IP assignments, licences, distribution agreements, etc or wish to know more about IP rights generally please get in touch with our team at Solubility.
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Louise Brunero is a Melbourne-based Intellectual Property and Commercial lawyer with over 15 years of specialist experience. Louise works with a range of clients from creative individuals, boutique producers and local start-ups through to big pharma and multinational biosciences clients. Louise has always had a passion for Intellectual Property, and in addition to her legal qualifications holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Chemistry.