Feature

Edwin Land: Champion of Patents

Stanley H. Mervis

Land's relationship with the patent system began shortly after he entered Harvard. While walking in Times Square one night, he conceived the idea that light polarizers could control glare from automobile headlights. Because of an interest in television, Land had already read quite a bit about light polarizers while still in high school. Now he began an in-depth study of the literature, coupled with an effort to make light polarizers large enough to do this job.