patent rights

Patent rights grant an inventor exclusive control over their invention for a limited time, typically 20 years. This means others cannot make, use, sell, or distribute the patented invention without permission. Patents encourage innovation by allowing inventors to profit from their ideas, promoting research and development. To obtain a patent, the invention must be new, useful, and non-obvious. After the patent expires, the invention becomes publicly available, allowing everyone to use it. Essentially, patents balance protecting inventors' interests and fostering public access to new technologies.