Newcomen apparently conceived his machine quite independently of Savery, but as the latter had taken out a very wide-ranging patent, Newcomen and his associates were obliged to come to an arrangement with him, marketing the engine until 1733 under a joint patent.
Tilsyneladende havde Newcomen udtænkt sin dampmaskine uafhængigt af Savery, men denne havde sikret sig et meget bredt patent, så Newcomen og hans partnere var tvunget til at komme til en forståelse med ham, og indtil 1733 blev maskinen markedsført under et fælles patent.