Although actual patent laws which were actively enforced by the state are generally thought to have started with the Venetian Statute of 1474, much earlier precedents do exist. In 500 BC in the Greek city of Sybari, culinary innovators were able to patent their dishes for a whole year.

Some earlier uses in Western Europe included the letters patent issued by the English sovereign, which granted the recipient monopoly in the respective fields of commerce or science. One such letter was sent out in 1449 by Henry VI to John of Utynam, a Flemish man, for a 20 year monopoly for his invention. The first Italian patent was granted by Florence in 1421, where the Florentine architect Filippo Brunelleschi patented his invention, which was a barge with primitive hoisting gear.