Actually the patents didn't apply to Europe which is why they were so far ahead of us. I'm sure the patents didn't help but this speaker's interpretation was that the US people weren't at all interested in aviation. That's one reason the government didn't support development until they won the trophy.
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Precisely. The Wrights couldn't prevent competition abroad. They were absolutely responsible for holding back variation here. Progress doesn't require government intervention.
They needed the money for development he said. The original amount was $5000. Once the trophy was won it jumped to $90,000 and each year went far higher.