[长难句突破]

A granted patent is the result of a bargain struck between an inventor and the state, by which the inventor gets a limited period of monopoly (垄断) and publishes full details of his invention to the public after that period terminates.

主体句式：A granted patent is the result of a bargain.

结构分析：本句的中心词就是"bargain"，"struck between an inventor and the state"指出bargain的双方身份，而后面的by which引导的从句具体说明了bargain的内容。

Because a patent remains permanently public after it has terminated, the shelves of the library attached to the patent office contain details of literally millions of ideas that are free for anyone to use and, if older than half a century, sometimes even re-patent.

主体句式：The shelves contain details.

结构分析：这是一个描述因果关系的句子，because引导的状语从句是原因，而以the shelves开头的主句是结果。主句中，"attached to the patent office"用来补充说明the library，后面的"that"引导的定语从句修饰"millions of ideas"。最后两个逗号之间的"if older than half a century"是一步插入语，表示一个限定条件。

[全文译文]

When an invention is made, the inventor has three possible courses of action open to him: he can give the invention to the world by publishing it, keep the idea secret, or patent it.

A granted patent is the result of a bargain struck between an inventor and the state, by which the inventor gets a limited period of monopoly (垄断) and publishes full details of his invention to the public after that period terminates. Only in the most exceptional circumstances is the lifespan of a patent extended to alter this normal process of events.

The longest extension ever granted was to Georges Valensi; his 1939 patent for color TV receiver circuitry was extended until 1971 because for most of the patent' s normal life there was no colour TV to receive and thus no hope of reward for the invention.

Because a patent remains permanently public after it has terminated, the shelves of the library attached to the patent office contain details of literally millions of ideas that are free for anyone to use and, if older than half a century, sometimes even re-patent. Indeed, patent experts often advise anyone wishing to avoid the high cost of conducting a search through live patents that the one sure way of avoiding violation of any other inventor' s right is to plagiarize a dead patent. Likewise, because publication of an idea in any other form permanently invalidates further patents on that idea, it is traditionally safe to take ideas from other areas of print. Much modern technological advance is based on these presumptions of legal security.

Anyone closely involved in patents and inventions soon learns that most "new" ideas are, in fact, as old as the hills. It is their reduction to commercial practice, either through necessity or dedication, or through the availability of new technology, that makes news and money. The basic patent for the theory of magnetic recording dates back to 1886. Many of the original ideas behind television originate from the late 19th and early 20th century. Even the Volkswagen rear engine car was anticipated by a 1904 patent for a cart with the horse at the rear.

当有一项发明被创造出来时，发明者可以采取三种可能的行动：他可以通过出版把成果公布于世，也可以保密，或取得专利。

专利的授予是发明者和国家之间形成的一种契约。根据这种契约，发明者对自己的发明可获得一定时期的垄断权，垄断期结束后，就要把该项发明的全部细节公布于众。只有在极为特殊的情况下，专利期才被延长从而改变这一正常事件的过程。

延长时间最长的专利批准给了乔治·瓦伦西。他于1939年获准的彩电接收机线路的专利一直延续到1971年，因为在当时这项专利期内没有彩色电视节目可以接收，因此专利无望被采用。
    因为一项专利到期后，该专利就永久公开了，因此，专利局的图书馆书架上那数百万个观点只要是超过半个世纪，任何人都可自由使用，有时甚至可以重新取得专利。实际上，专利专家们常对希望开发有效专利而又想避免高额费用的人提出建议，即避免侵犯他人专利权的有效方法就是使用过期专利。同样，因为用任何其他方式公布一种观点都会使该观点永久失效，所以传统上，从其他领域的印刷材料上使用观点是安全的。许多现代技术的发展都是基于这些法律安全的考虑。

任何与专利及发明密切相关的人很快会得知，多数新的观点事实上已相当陈旧。只有把握时代的需求，锐意进取，跟上新技术的步伐，专利才能变成商业实践，从而实现名利双收。用磁录音这一理论的最初专利始于1886年。电视生成原理的许多原创思路都始于19世纪后期和20世纪初。甚至1904年马在车后的马车专利已经预见到了发动机后置的德国"大众"轿车的出现。