|
| | Home » History of Patent Law | |
History of Patent Law |
| |
If you want to know About Patents, then knowing the history of patent law is quite important. The history of patent law and patents is usually believed to have begun in Italy with a 1474 Venetian Statuate, the Statue of Monopolies, issued by the Republic of Venice. A new decree was issued which introduced new and inventive devices that, if once put into practice, needs to be communicated to the Republic so as to obtain legal protection and security against potential infringers. According to the history of patent law rules, the protection period was 10 years. However, patents existed before the patent law. In 1421, actually the first Italian patent was awarded by the Republic of Florence. There are evidences also that suggest that something like patents was used in some ancient Greek cities.
|
History of patent law in England states that the English crown used to issue letters patent that provided any person with a “monopoly” for the production of particular goods for providing to particular services. In the year 1449, the first of such letter was granted to a Flemish man by Henry IV for a monopoly of 20 years for his invention. This commenced a long traditional practice by the crown of England of permitting of “letters patents” meaning unsealed letters, granting monopolies to those persons favored for their deeds. This power, developed for raising money for the crown, was widely abused since the English crown permitted patents in respect of all types of common goods also. Gradually over time, the Court started limiting the patent allowing to certain circumstances only. After public protest, England’s James I was compelled to lift all the granted existing monopolies and declare that monopolies can be used only for new intervention projects. Gradually over time, this law underwent several changes and now the UK patent law is no more based on the Statue of Monopolies, but is an combination of UK and European practices.
In the United States, The history of patent laws started during the period of Thirteen Colonies in America where a few inventors were allowed in obtaining monopolies or patents in producing and selling their inventions. These monopolies were given by a petition to a particular legislature of the colony. In the year 1646, for instance, the Province of Massachusetts Bay allowed Joseph Jenks Sr., an inventor, the exclusive right of setting up water mills by the use of a speedier engine that was invented by him for inventing edged tools, like scythes. His granted monopoly was to continue for a period of 14 years. In 1790, the first Patent Commission of the United States was formed. On July 30, 1790, the first US patent was granted to Philadelphia’s Samuel Hopkins for his method of potash production used for making glass, soap and gunpowder.
For more information on patents, click to the links offered in our site www.patentshub.com.
| |
