From Science Direct: James Watt: The steam engine and the commercialization of patents

This is behind a pay wall, so you can't access it freely, but the abstract is interesting and relates to the role the national government was established to play in establishing a commercial republic. Allowing for patent and copyright protections helps encourage people to do so.

The development of steam engines helped lead to the development of railroads, among many other things.

- Click here for the article. 

- Click here for Science Direct's page on steam engines.

Great Britain (GB) was the first country to undergo an Industrial Revolution (1760–1850) and, in consequence, the first where patents for inventions evolved from an occasional curiosity to a powerful commercial tool. It is argued that this paradigm shift was largely caused by the later development of the steam engine and especially the first patent of James Watt (1736–1819). Despite extensive litigation, this proved extremely lucrative and thereby convinced GB’s rapidly growing industry of the importance of strong patent protection.

In an annex, the author notes that 2008 is the 200th anniversary of the demonstration of the first practical steam railway engine, Richard Trevithick’s ‘Catch me who can’ on a circular track in London.

For more on the Watt steam engine, click here.