Legal News for Thurs 7/31 - Trump Pumps Crypto, Public Defender Funding Cuts, Uber Liability Question and Eric Tung's Sexist Comments
This Day in Legal History: Patent Office Opened
On this day in legal history, July 31, 1790, the United States issued its first patent under the newly created Patent Act of 1790. The inaugural patent was granted to Samuel Hopkins of Vermont for a process of making potash, an essential industrial chemical used in soap and fertilizer production. Signed by President George Washington, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, and Attorney General Edmund Randolph, this first patent reflected the constitutional mandate to “promote the progress of science and useful arts.”
The Patent Act established a…
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