As the law must correspond to social changes, it must since ancient times correspond to technological development as well. The most apparent problem in this field is protection of inventions and technologies, particularly by means of patent rights. Technological development, however, has a much broader impact. Let us mention extension of factory production with profound social consequences, or development of railway transport in 19th century, which caused not only the need for regulation of this form of transport, but also the issues of ensuring safety, liability etc. Even nowadays is buying land in connection with transportation a problematic issue. Law was forced to seek new ways when dealing with new situations, but it can also build on practices that were proven in the past and their roots may sometimes spring already from ancient Rome.
