The difference between denim pants and blue jeans is not the fabric or the cut or the fit. Rather, the difference is 139,121—more specifically, patent number 139,121.[1] This patent corresponds to the process of affixing metal rivets at points of strain along denim trousers, transforming the garment into a durable pair pants. The riveting process is attributed to Jacob Davis, who developed the idea of reinforcing the then-standard pair of men’s work pants after hearing complaints from workmen about the ease with which their trousers ripped.[2] Along with his business partner Levi Strauss, Davis obtained the patent on May 20, 1873, the official birth date of the blue jeans,[3] and later christened the original model with the number 501.[4] So began the production of what would become the most American and “most popular clothing product in the world,”[5] and solidified Levi Strauss & Co.’s (“Levi’s”) status as the original.[6]