Who was the first inventer?

Answer 1

answ2. An invention has to be useful, and novel, and non-obvious. Patent applications are often used as a hall-mark to determine who was first to have an idea.

They date back to pre BC. A patent is usually a form of protection to the intellectual property, prohibiting others from using the invention, and the patent usually has a limited life time.

In original concept, once the lifetime of the patent had expired, the use of the invention was free to all.

Patents are usually controlled by the government, and are in effect a promise by the government to protect the rights of the individual, in exchange for all the citizens having use of the patent upon its expiry.

If you can keep your invention secret, there is no obligation to make it public.

Patents are very different to trademarks, and copyright. The rules governing the one are very different from the others.