Application of patents in the Ottoman Empire: Ihtira Beratı law

Beginning of the age of industrialization and production under the influence of technical advances pushed the Ottoman Empire to seek new inventions like the world states. In order to encourage the increase of inventions that have benefited to the state and the public, the state which enacted the İhtira Beratı Law has legally secured the right of the inventor who made a new invention. The people who invented in a lots of areas such as military, medical and agriculture were given the right to benefit from İhtira Berat Law by examining their application. The law, which was put into practise as a translation of the French Law, has been made more comprehensive by regulations. The Ottoman Empire increased the functionality of the law by participating in international agreements that did not act independently from the world states. Not only the Ottoman, but also the foreigner have the right to benefit if they have the necessary conditions. This law, which enacted in the last centuries of the Ottoman Empire, inherited to the Republic of Turkey as one of the important steps. When the law first appeared it was called as "İhtira Berat Law". But today we call it as "Patent Law".