Patent Law Treaty signed

On June 1, 2000, the Patent Law Treaty (PLT) was signed in Geneva. The purpose of PLT is to make the patent process easier for the applicant at the international level by streamlining the regional and national patent procedures in member countries. Today, there are 19 contracting states and 59 additional nations have signed PLT.

Learn more about the Patent Law Treaty from the World Intellectual Property Organization.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt born

Carrie Chapman Catt, suffragist, womens' rights advocate and co-founder of the League of Women Voters, was born on January 9, 1859.

Visit the Carrie Chapman Catt Childhood Home.

Great Britain's first income tax introduced

On January 9, 1799, British Prime Minister William Pitt introduced Great Britain's first income tax. The tax was announced the previous December as a means of raising money for war against Napoleon. Pitt's successor, Henry Addington, repealed the tax when hostilities subsided in 1802. Addington then reinstated the tax during the following year when fighting was renewed. The Addington tax model later became the model for the modern British income tax. Learn about the history of income taxation in Great Britain from Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs.