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The concept of patents, as a way to protect intellectual property, can be traced back to the 15th century. The first recorded modern patent was granted in 1421 by the city-state of Florence, Italy, to Filippo Brunelleschi. This renowned architect and engineer was awarded the patent for inventing a novel mechanism to transport heavy loads of marble over water for construction purposes, a critical element in his work on the Florence Cathedral. Brunelleschi’s patent granted him a three-year monopoly on the invention, meaning no one else could use his design without permission during that period. This legal protection allowed him to control the commercialization of his creation, marking one of the earliest recognitions of intellectual property. Following Brunelleschi’s pioneering patent, other regions in Italy, particularly Venice, began developing more formalized patent laws. In 1474, the Venetian Senate passed the first statutory patent system, the Venetian Patent Statute. This law was groundbreaking, as it introduced key concepts still used in modern patent law, such as exclusive rights to inventors and the requirement that patents be publicly disclosed to advance technological progress. The Venetian system laid the foundation for future patent laws around the world, establishing a model where inventors could benefit from their innovations while contributing to societal advancement. The importance of these early patents cannot be overstated. They incentivized innovation by ensuring that creators could reap the benefits of their hard work and creativity. This balance between protecting inventors and encouraging public knowledge would become a cornerstone of global patent systems in later centuries. From Brunelleschi's marble transport device to today’s advanced technologies, the early development of patents has profoundly shaped the trajectory of human innovation P. Geo. Ricardo A Valls, M. Sc. and Geo Gadfly Valls Geoconsultant ORCID ID- https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5421-0914 Scopus Author ID: 7003369619/35335510700 ResearcherID: S-6604-2018 If you like this content, please "buy me a coffee" https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goldendroplets