From 1880 to 1980, the number of patent applications filed with the USPTO doubled roughly every 50 years. This rate correlates with the growth rate of the U.S. population over the same period.
However, in the mid-1980s, the rate of patent filings increased sharply. That increase was due in large part to the growth of the software industry.
Around 1995, the rate of filings increased even more. A new paradigm was at hand.
