Hrdy and Brean on Testing the Gernsback Hypothesis: Science Fiction's Influence on Patents and Innovation

Camilla Alexandra Hrdy, Rutgers Law School; Yale University Information Society Project, and Daniel Harris Brean, Senior In-House Intellectual Property Counsel, Respiratory Care, Philips; Intellectual Property Expert in Residence, Duquesne University Kline School of Law, are publishing Testing the Gernsback Hypothesis: Science Fiction's Influence on Patents and Innovation in the 2025 Symposium Issue of the Houston Law Review. Here is the abstract.

A common thesis in the science fiction community is that science fiction has an impact on innovation because it inspires readers and even professional scientists to perfect and put into practice the inventions they learn about through science fiction. We call this the "Gernsback hypothesis," because it was posited most clearly by the science fiction editor and inventor, Hugo Gernsback. This paper reveals that patents provide an invaluable source of information for testing the Gernsback hypothesis. It explains several approaches for using patents to test whether, and how, science fiction influences inventors. It reveals the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches. This paper should be of particular interest today, when powerful tech moguls admit that science fiction deeply influenced their pursuits, from artificial intelligence, to virtual reality, to space travel. It would be helpful to gain a more precise lens into how science fiction affects inventors. Patents could provide a resource for gaining insights into this process.

Download the article from SSRN at the link.