History of Patents

The patent system is of 400 years old. A patent is a form of intellectual property rights granted by the government that confers upon the patentee the sole right to make, use, and sell his invention for a certain period of time. The earliest form of patents existed in 500 BC in Sybaris, Greece were monopolies were granted to new dishes for a year period. The first time a patent was granted was for a method of transporting marble more cheaply through a paddleboat way back in 1421. Later on a patent was granted to John of Utynam for his contribution to stained glass. It is believed that the first system of granting patent to invention started in Italy. The word patent is derived from the Latin word 'litterae patentes’. The patent system of every country is formulated in such a way so as to benefit the public. In United States the Congress passed several patent acts one in 1790, 1793 as well as in 1836. Thomas Jefferson was greatly influenced the 1790 US Patent Act. The United States Patent Act was officially announced in 1836. The US introduced the examination process which was very different from the UK registration process. The history of Indianpatent system can be traced to nineteenth century AD where the first patent was granted to a pankha. The most number of patent is owned by a Japanese inventor Shunpei Yamazaki aged 65 mostly in the filed of LCD ‘s memory chips. He holds  1811 US Patents.