Patent law (and copyright law) has its roots in the Constitution. But before describing those functions, let’s first explain how patents work and what they do.

Patenting his inventions served a few important functions for Houdini. He designed created new machines that would dazzle his audiences with exciting performances.

This, along with a few other incentives discussed later, led him to patent the machines he created for his magic performances. As a product of his time, Houdini had high esteem for feats of mechanical engineering. Harry Houdini, born Erik Weitz, came of age during the Industrial Revolution. While many know of the magician for his impressive feats of escape, the Hungarian-born immigrant was also an avid inventor. However, Houdini’s greatest trick may have been leveraging IP to his personal advantage. One probably envisions dramatic performances involving straightjackets, water barrels, or sleight of hand illusions. Intellectual property (IP) law probably isn’t the first thing you think of when you think of Harry Houdini.

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