Patent law is a vital branch of intellectual property, designed to protect inventors' rights. It grants exclusive legal protection for novel inventions,...
A patent is a legal right granted by a government to an inventor, giving them exclusive rights to make, use, and sell their invention for a limited period, typically 20 years.
Generally, patents are granted for new, useful, and non-obvious inventions, including machines, manufactures, compositions of matter, processes, and improvements thereof. Abstract ideas or natural laws are typically excluded.
In most countries, utility patents last for 20 years from the date of filing the patent application. Design patents usually have shorter terms, often 14 or 15 years.
A patent protects inventions (how things work or what they are made of), while a trademark protects brands (words, symbols, or designs that identify goods or services and distinguish them from others).
Patent protection incentivizes innovation by providing inventors with a temporary monopoly, allowing them to recoup development costs and profit. It also encourages the public disclosure of new technologies, fostering further advancement.