IP Alerts

April 8, 2015

Yesterday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reached a significant milestone when it issued U.S. Patent No. 9,000,000. This is quite a testament to the legions of inventors whose collective innovation has resulted in such an impressive number of patents.

In actuality, the U.S. government has issued more than 9 million patents over the years. Acting through what was known as the "Patent Office," the government issued U.S. Patent No. 1 in the current numbering system on July 13, 1836. Before that, the government had granted several thousand patents under a different numbering system, beginning with the first U.S. Patent in 1790. 

The pace of patent grants has generally increased with time. Patent No. 1,000,000 was issued in August 8, 1911, some 75 years after the issue date of Patent No. 1. In contrast, Patent No. 8,000,000 was issued on August 16, 2011, not quite 4 years ago. This represents about a 19-fold rate difference between the issuance of the first million patents and the issuance of the most recent million patents.  

Serving as a barometer for innovation, the patent system has continuously served its constitutionally specified purpose since 1790. Tracing our roots to 1859, Fitch Even is proud to have played a role in the development of patent law over the past 155 years. We look forward to serving our clients as the USPTO moves forward to Patent No. 10,000,000 and beyond.


Fitch Even IP Alert^®