The patent system was created to reward inventors and grow the economy. Follow how that original mandate evolved — and where it drifted — across six centuries. Filter by era to focus on a period.
-
1421Origins
Brunelleschi's patent in Florence
The Republic of Florence granted architect Filippo Brunelleschi a three-year privilege for a barge designed to carry heavy loads, such as marble, along the Arno River. It is often cited as one of the earliest known patents for an invention.
-
1474Origins
The Venetian Patent Statute
On 19 March 1474, the Venetian Senate passed a general law protecting new and ingenious devices for ten years once they were reduced to working practice. Widely regarded as the first patent law, it set out the original bargain: useful inventions for the public in exchange for a limited exclusive right.
-
1594Origins
Galileo's Venetian patent
Galileo Galilei received a Venetian patent for a horse-powered machine to raise water for irrigation. The grant shows how the Venetian system rewarded practical inventions that served the community.
-
1624Origins
England's Statute of Monopolies
The English Parliament declared most royal monopolies void but preserved patents of up to 14 years for the true and first inventor of new manufactures. The statute became a foundation of Anglo-American patent law.
-
1787Industrial Age
The US Constitution's IP clause
Article I, Section 8 of the US Constitution gave Congress the power to promote the progress of science and useful arts by securing to inventors, for limited times, the exclusive right to their discoveries. It anchored patents in the founding law of the United States.
-
1790Industrial Age
The first US Patent Act
Signed in April 1790, the first US Patent Act allowed patents to be granted by a board that included the Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. The first US patent was issued that summer to Samuel Hopkins for a process of making potash.
-
1836Industrial Age
The Patent Act of 1836 creates examination
The Patent Act of 1836 created a Patent Office with examiners who reviewed applications for novelty and usefulness before granting a patent. Patent numbering began again with Patent No. 1, and the examination system remains the basis of US practice.
-
1849Industrial Age
Abraham Lincoln's patent
Abraham Lincoln received US Patent No. 6,469 for a device for buoying vessels over shoals. He remains the only US president to hold a patent and later praised the patent system for adding the fuel of interest to the fire of genius.
-
1869Industrial Age
Canada's first federal Patent Act
Two years after Confederation, Canada passed its first federal Patent Act, creating a national patent system to replace earlier provincial laws. It laid the groundwork for today's Canadian Intellectual Property Office.
-
1876Industrial Age
Bell's telephone patent
On March 7, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was granted US Patent No. 174,465 for improvements in telegraphy, covering the telephone. It became one of the most valuable and heavily litigated patents in history.
-
1880Industrial Age
Edison's electric lamp patent
Thomas Edison received US Patent No. 223,898 for an electric lamp in January 1880. His Menlo Park laboratory showed how organized, systematic invention could turn a patent into a commercial industry.
-
1883Industrial Age
The Paris Convention
The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property was signed in 1883. It introduced national treatment for foreign applicants and the right of priority, which today gives patent applicants 12 months to file in other member countries.
-
1906Industrial Age
The Wright brothers' patent
Orville and Wilbur Wright received US Patent No. 821,393 for a flying machine in May 1906, after filing in 1903. Their control system patent led to years of disputes that shaped the early aviation industry.
-
1952Modern System
The US Patent Act of 1952
The 1952 Act codified US patent law in Title 35 of the US Code. It added the statutory requirement that an invention be nonobvious, a standard still central to examination today.
-
1967Modern System
WIPO is established
The Convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization was signed in Stockholm in 1967. WIPO later became a specialized agency of the United Nations and today administers many international IP treaties.
-
1970Modern System
The Patent Cooperation Treaty
The Patent Cooperation Treaty was signed in Washington in 1970. It allows applicants to file one international application and defer national filing decisions, simplifying protection across many countries.
-
1980Modern System
The Bayh-Dole Act
The Bayh-Dole Act allowed US universities, nonprofits and small businesses to retain title to inventions made with federal research funding. It encouraged technology transfer offices and licensing of university research.
-
1982Modern System
The Federal Circuit is created
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit was created in 1982 and given nationwide jurisdiction over patent appeals. It brought greater consistency to US patent law.
-
1994Modern System
The TRIPS Agreement
The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights was signed in 1994 as part of the agreements creating the World Trade Organization. It set minimum standards for patent protection, including a term of at least 20 years from filing.
-
1995Modern System
US moves to a 20-year term from filing
Under the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, US utility patents filed on or after June 8, 1995 last 20 years from the earliest nonprovisional filing date, instead of 17 years from grant. The same law introduced the US provisional application.
-
2011Digital Era
The America Invents Act
Signed on September 16, 2011, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act was the largest overhaul of the US patent system in decades. It introduced first-inventor-to-file and new post-grant proceedings before a new Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
-
2012Digital Era
The PTAB begins post-grant trials
On September 16, 2012, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board began hearing inter partes review and other new post-grant proceedings. These allow third parties to challenge issued patents at the USPTO, a significant change for patent owners.
-
2013Digital Era
First-inventor-to-file takes effect
For US applications with an effective filing date on or after March 16, 2013, priority generally goes to the inventor who files first rather than the first to invent. Early filing and careful disclosure became even more important.
-
2023Digital Era
The Unified Patent Court opens
On June 1, 2023, the Unified Patent Court began operating alongside the new European Unitary Patent. Patent owners can now enforce or defend patents across participating EU member states in a single court action.
Want the full story of where it all began? Read The Venetian Patent Statute of 1474.