About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

27 J. Pat. Off. Soc'y 143 (1945)
The Orgin of Patents

handle is hein.journals/jpatos27 and id is 169 raw text is: The Origin of Patents * By M. FRUMKIN It is little known that patents, so important in our day, are really of remote origin; their ever-increasing number is the best illustration of the amazing rate of technical progress. Since the establishment of patent laws in near- ly all countries, several millions have been granted. In the United States alone the number of grants far exceeds two millions; throughout the world over a thousand pat- ents are issued every day. For our purpose we may define a patent only as a temporary and exclusive right granted for the exploita- tion of a new invention. It would be vain to look for patents in ancient Greece and Rome. During the classic period useful arts were regarded with contempt, and although inventions were made by men such as Archimedes, they were looked on as mere frivolities, scarcely befitting a philosopher. In Rome there was another obstacle, namely, the principles of Roman Law. Nevertheless a Greek compiler, Athen- aeus, of the third century A.D., mentions in his Deipno- sophistae that several centuries B.C. there were culinary competitions in the city of Sybaris, which became pro- verbial for its luxury. The successful cook, inventor of a new dish, was given an exclusive right to prepare it dur- ing one year. During the Middle Ages we find many industrial priv- ileges, but in most cases it is difficult to say whether they had any connection with new inventions. Benjamin of Tudela, who travelled 'round the world' from 1160-1173 (it was, of course, the world as known at that time: Europe and the Near East), mentions in his Itinerary that the 'King of Jerusalem granted against the payment of an annual fee an exclusive right to certain dyers, and we know that in the Middle Ages the whole art of dyeing consisted of trade secrets. * Reprinted from Chambers Journal, January, 1943.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most