Defensive Publications

Defensive publications are a strategy used by individuals or companies to protect their ideas and innovations from being patented by others. By publicly disclosing details about an invention or concept, they can establish prior art, which means that the idea is already known and cannot be patented by someone else. This helps to prevent others from claiming exclusive rights to the idea, allowing the originator to retain freedom to use and develop it. Essentially, it's a way to safeguard intellectual property without pursuing a formal patent.