The Man Who Patented the WheelHow a stunt exposed a broken government system.

From the show

It really happened

An Australian lawyer's prank reveals how well-intentioned systems can have absurd, exploitable loopholes. In 2001, John Keogh was granted an 'innovation patent' for a 'circular transportation facilitation device.' He did it to prove a new, cheaper patent system was automatically approving applications without any real examination. His success forced a re-evaluation of intellectual property law and serves as a reminder to question the systems we rely on every day.