July 31st, 2025
| Company: | U.S. Patent and Trademark Office |
| Web site: | http://www.uspto.gov |
Inventors all over benefited from the Patent Act and the opening of the first Patent Office. The Patent Act of 1790 was the first federal patent statute of the United States. It was titled "An Act to promote the Progress of Useful Arts." Similar to the state statutes, the federal statute allowed the patentees a 14-year term of exclusive right to use their inventions, without the possibility of an extension. This was unsatisfactory to many inventors who wanted extended protection time for their inventions. They argued that 14 years were not enough, given that it often took several years already for their inventions to be commercialized. Another important point of the Patent Act of 1790 was that it did not allow foreigners to obtain patents in the United States.
The Act also created the first Patent Office, which was a part of the Department of State.
