In 1790, came a great encouragement to inventors, the first Federal Patent Act, passed by Congress on the 10th of April. Every State had its own separate patent laws or regulations, as an inheritance from colonial days, but the Fathers of the Constitution had wisely provided that this function of government should be exercised by the nation. Photo courtesy of USPTO
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The patent system would be a mess if it where divided into state programs. This is definitely one of the few cases where a federal system is more efficient when is comes to patenting.