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By the 1870s, strong support existed in several countries for the introduction of some form of international protection of industrial property, particularly patents. The first conference devoted to the question of international patent law was the Vienna Congress of 1873. Subsequently, one further private conference and two diplomatic conferences were held in Paris in 1878, 1880 and 1883. These Paris Conferences were directly responsible for the drafting of the Paris Convention of 1883. This Chapter provides an overview of the key historical influences at the national and international level which resulted in the adoption of the Paris Convention in 1883, and explains the background to the emergence of support for international patent protection.