Weekly Patent History - Feb 9, 2026
This week in patent history: On Feb 9, 1870, the U.S. moved patent, trademark, and copyright administration into the Department of Justice.
Published: 2026-02-09
**This week in IP history has a few “wait, that happened then?” moments.**
1) **Feb 9, 1870:** The U.S. moved patent, trademark, and copyright administration into the newly formed Department of Justice—an early signal that IP was becoming a national economic priority, not just a paperwork exercise.
2) **Feb 10, 1876:** Alexander Graham Bell filed the patent that would define the telephone era. The filing sparked years of litigation—and a lasting lesson in how one application can reshape an industry.
3) **Feb 14, 1876:** Elisha Gray submitted his telephone caveat the very same day Bell filed key paperwork. That near-collision became one of history’s most famous “who got there first?” IP debates.
4) **Feb 14, 1903:** The U.S. Patent Office granted one of the Wright brothers’ foundational patents. It didn’t just protect a machine—it helped set the rules for an entire new field of innovation.
5) **Feb 14, 1972:** The Supreme Court decided *Gottschalk v. Benson*, limiting patentability for abstract algorithms. It still echoes in how we draw lines around software and technical invention.
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