On April 10, 1790, Congress approved America's first Patent Act. The Patent Act of 1790 allowed inventors to maintain "sole and exclusive right and liberty of making, constructing, using and vending to others" the rights to a patented invention for fourteen years. The Act furthermore created the U.S. Patent Board, the precursor to the modern U.S. Patent Office.



Read the current U.S. Patent Act from the Cornell University Law School, and read A History of the Early Patent Office by Kenneth W. Dobyns.