FAQ
How long does a patent last?
Twenty years from the filing date in most of the world, including the United States since 1995. Utility models and design patents differ: US design patents run 15 years from grant. Maintenance fees must be paid or protection lapses early. After expiry the invention belongs to everyone.
What was the first US patent ever granted?
Patent number one, dated July 31, 1790, went to Samuel Hopkins for a process making potash, used in fertilizer and soap. George Washington signed the first patent act that April. The original records burned in an 1836 fire, and the current numbering began afterward, so X-patents preceded it.
Can you patent an idea?
No. Patents cover concrete implementations: machines, compositions of matter, processes, and improvements with described structure. An idea like a faster-than-light drive cannot be patented, but a specific engine design could be, if novel, useful, and non-obvious. Abstractions and mathematical formulas are excluded.
What is a patent troll?
A company that buys or holds patents purely to license them by lawsuit threat, practicing nothing itself. Courts call them non-practicing entities. Critics argue they tax innovation; defenders argue they let small inventors monetize against big firms. American PTAB reviews and fee-shifting have blunted the worst cases.
Which patent earned the most money ever?
Among the strongest candidates: the CSIRO WiFi patent family, which extracted over one billion dollars in settlements; Samuel Hopkins-era and Howe-era royalties built fortunes; and pharma patents like Lipitor generated over 100 billion dollars in sales, though through portfolios rather than one number. Ranking depends on counting lump settlements versus licensed revenue.
Do patents expire worldwide at once?
No. Patent rights are territorial: each country grants its own patent under its own clock, linked loosely by international treaties like the PCT, which buys time to file everywhere. A US patent can expire while a Brazilian counterpart remains active. There is no world patent.