In my opinion, the most important thing is not "who holds the patent", "who first thought of it", or "who manufactured it", but simply using a common term that everyone understands what is being discussed. While all the other things are important in a historical context and worthy of scholarly research and voluminous discussion, it's OK to call it an 'apple of the earth' (pomme de terre) as the French do, only if everyone knows you are discussing a potato.