ABSTRACT
Our modern patent systems are the result of a long evolution. Here, we recount the history of patents very briefly,mainly to demonstrate two important points. Firstly, the patent system has been changing more or less continuously over the centuries. Each of the more marked adjustments reflects responses to advances in known technology fields, the creation of new technology fields or broader developments in society. Patent systems have mastered each of these challenges. They certainly are not working efficiently, but judged from a purely historical point of view, they perform reasonably well.
