What risk does the common narrative focusing disproportionately on the paper bag patent fight pose for Knight's legacy?

It risks overshadowing the vast scope of her mechanical aptitude demonstrated across decades of patent awards.

While the patent fight showcases Knight's tenacity and the external opposition she faced, focusing too heavily on this single legal drama can distort the view of her overall career. Her true genius lay in her prolific output and mechanical aptitude across numerous, distinct fields, evidenced by the dozens of patents she accumulated over decades. When the narrative centers solely on the struggle over the bag machine, it obscures the cumulative body of her work—her ability to apply inventive principles successfully to textile machinery, metalworking, and household goods—thereby underrepresenting the sheer breadth of her engineering skill.