huinventors1-9, Exercise 1: The state and the inventor

Model answer:

Two ways the state shaped the work: most research took place in state institutes, universities and firms, so inventions were often made by employees and belonged to the institution; and foreign trade went through state trading organisations, so an inventor with an export product had to work through them. Travel and contact with the West were also limited and controlled.

One way it did not prevent success: the Magic Cube was made by a Hungarian firm, sold abroad through a state trading organisation and licensed to Western firms, and became a worldwide bestseller. The details of the rules changed over the decades and should be checked.