Friday, May 29, 2015

Brits Needed to Open Their Wallets Wider?

by Steve Reiss of www.reisspatents.com

That before any application for a patent shall be considered by the commissioner as aforesaid, the applicant shall pay ..., if he be a citizen of the United States, or an alien...  the sum of thirty dollars; if a subject of the King of Great Britain, the sum of five hundred dollars; and all other persons the sum of three hundred dollars...

Patent Act of 1836

I wonder if Congress, when enacting the Patent Act of 1836 was trying to use the high patent application fees for British subjects to fund the rebuilding of the White House after the British army burned it down during the War of 1812.

Notes: 

$30 in 1836 has the approximate value of about $800 in 2014 (purchasing power comparison).
$500 in 1836 has the approximate value of $13,000 in 2014 (purchasing power comparison).
Historical dollar valuation can vary widely. Valuations used here come from Measuring Worth.

Current large entity filing fee is $USD1600.

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