Patents

The Constitution confers upon Congre tbe power to i ue patents for useful inventions. A few patents had been i ued by the States. The first patent law, pa ed in 1790, granted letters patent upon any new invention, for fourteen years, to both citizens and foreigners. Application had to be made to the Secretaries of War, the State and the Navy. The Act of 1793 permitted the i ue of patents to citizens only and required a fee of $30. States were not permitted to i ue patents. This was decided in the case of Gibbons vs. Ogden in New York. In 1836, the year of the establishment of the patent office, a law was pa ed requiring a preliminary examination of the novelty and patentability of inventions. Under the Law of 1842 patents were granted for seven years, This term was afterward extended to its 1 a peppre em agnesce -. - so present length of seventeen years. Finally by the Act of 1870 patents are to be granted to any person who can prove the newne and desirability of his invention, on payment of the required fee. The number of patents, annually i ued, is about 25,000. 70