The article investigates the granting of privileges to inventors in Venice in the modern age, with particular reference to the Seventeenth and Eighteenth centuries. After analysing the content of the law enacted by the Venetian Senate in 1474, a series of significant cases are examined in order to understand whether and how the competent authorities verified the existence of the requirements set by the legislature, with special regard to the utility and novelty of the invention. The case-study approach allows to highlight the interaction between law and technological innovation in an era not inclined to doctrinal debate, demonstrating how the system developed by the Venetian government contributed to outlining the main characteristics of today’s patent landscape.
È «ben giusto e ragionevole» che gli inventori siano ricompensati per i loro talenti: invenzioni e privilegi a Venezia tra Sei e Settecento
Claudia Passarella
2026
Abstract
The article investigates the granting of privileges to inventors in Venice in the modern age, with particular reference to the Seventeenth and Eighteenth centuries. After analysing the content of the law enacted by the Venetian Senate in 1474, a series of significant cases are examined in order to understand whether and how the competent authorities verified the existence of the requirements set by the legislature, with special regard to the utility and novelty of the invention. The case-study approach allows to highlight the interaction between law and technological innovation in an era not inclined to doctrinal debate, demonstrating how the system developed by the Venetian government contributed to outlining the main characteristics of today’s patent landscape.
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