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When the United States was still in its
infancy, lawmakers realized that a first step towards encouraging economic progress
was to offer rewards to inventors. For that reason, patent protection was granted
by the American Colonies as early as 1641, before any formal legal system was
in place. And when the Constitution was framed, nearly a century and a half later,
it contained this provision:
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THE CONGRESS SHALL HAVE POWER...TO PROMOTE THE PROGRESS
OF SCIENCE AND USEFUL ARTS BY SECURING FOR LIMITED TIMES TO AUTHORS AND INVENTORS
THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO THEIR RESPECTIVE WRITINGS AND DISCOVERIES. |
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In 1790, three years after the Constitution was signed, President George Washington
signed the first federal U.S. Patent Act.
Although the U.S. patent law has been refined since 1790, it has continued to
be the stimulus of our nation's economic growth.
The American patent system encourages inventors towards experimentation and the
creation of their inventions. In exchange for disclosing an invention to the public,
the inventor receives the exclusive right to control exploitation of the invention
and to realize any profits for a specific length of time.
At this very moment, inventors are at work on our future. Perhaps you have an
innovative and useful idea, and you are wondering if you should pursue patent
protection.
The patent system, said Abraham Lincoln, adds "the fuel of interest to the
fire of genius." The intent of this booklet is to shed some light on a system
set up to encourage and reward inventors, like yourself, to pursue your dreams
and feed the fires of your genius. |
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