X-Patent
On July 31, 1790 inventor Samuel Hopkins of Pittsford, Vermont became the first person to be issued a patent in the United States. His patented invention was an improvement in the "making of Pot Ash by a new apparatus & process." The earliest patent law required that a working model of each invention be produced in miniature.
United States v. Motion Picture Patents Co.
Thomas Edison developed and patented the first commercial motion picture camera and player (projector) in the United States (in Europe a handful of inventors had already developed and patented similar but different technology), and others followed in his steps, leading to extensive rivalry and patent litigation. In December 1908, Thomas Edison formed a combination of his Edison Manufacturing Company and nine other owners of film-related patents: the Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC), also known as the Motion Picture Patents Trust or the Edison Trust. The Trust controlled major patents dominating motion picture technology, including patents covering film stock, cameras, and projectors—including the so-called Latham loop patent (U.S. Pat. No. 707,934), a key feature of virtually all motion picture cameras then in use. Using the combined patent rights, the MPPC was able to exact high fees from their competitors for their use of film stock, cameras, and projectors. "The MPPC quickly became a force to be reckoned with, frequently and strenuously asserting its patent rights against independent movie producers through litigation." Between 1909 and 1918, MPCC brought about 40 patent infringement suits against competitors to maintain its control over the industry.