Information on Patent Codes, Patent Mandates, and Patent Law
The US patent system is based on a mandate for Congress that is part of the US Constitution. Article I Section 8, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution empowers Congress
“To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.”
The basic federal law that established the United States Patent and Trademark Office is USC 35, and the America Invents Act, passed in September 2011, significantly amends that law.