Patent Law Practice Center

Did You Know… About Patents and Presidents

By: Gene Quinn (IPWatchdog.com)

Did you know that President George Washington was a big proponent of a patent system? But he certainly was.

In fact, during his very first State of the Union Address, President Washington implored Congress to immediately take action on passing a Patent Act. See Celebrating Presidents Who Advocated for the Patent System. His urging did not go unnoticed. The first Patent Act, the Patent Act of 1790, was signed into law on April 10, 1790, just several months after President Washington asked Congress to take action.

Did you know that President Thomas Jefferson was one of the first three U.S. patent examiners?

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