In the 1880s, Swiss industrial companies enjoyed a double legal advantage. On the one hand, as there was no Swiss patent law, they could use new technology without fearing litigation. On the other, they could patent their own innovations abroad, because Switzerland participated in the international convention for industrial property. In 1888, however, a first Swiss patent law was passed. This article examines why industrialists accepted to give up the ability to freely copy technologies. Previous research has emphasized the role of ideological change and international pressure. This article focuses instead on the neglected Swiss movements which lobbied for adoption of a patent law. The organisation and strategies of several industries were evolving to confront the economic recession of the 1870s to 1890s and a patent law fit in with these renewed strategies. In watchmaking and embroidery, patents were an important part of efforts to differentiate products and build own brands. For the mechanical engineering and machine industry, another relevant group, patents played an increasingly significant role in the context of a changing innovation system, greater importance of the domestic market and needs for external financing. This emphasis on innovation and product differentiation, as well as a new understanding of the role of the state in the economy, was shared by other interest groups. This then lead to wider support for the patent law which was eventually enacted.