patent suppression
patent suppression. The deliberate nonuse of a patent, esp. in order to deny the public or competitors the benefit of the invention. • Patent suppression is a rich source of urban legend, such as the rumor of oil companies sitting on inventions that would greatly improve gas mileage, or pantyhose companies suppressing a patent on no-run nylon. But the stories are not always fictional: in 1942 Standard Oil admitted trying to delay the advancement of synthetic-rubber technology in order to protect its market in natural rubber.