Inventors receive a limited monopoly in exchange for public disclosure. A patent is a government-granted right that allows the inventor to exclude others from making, using, selling, or importing the claimed invention for a fixed term.

To qualify, an invention must typically be novel, useful, and nonobvious, and the application must enable others skilled in the field to practice it. Patent offices examine applications; grants can be challenged in administrative or court proceedings. Infringement suits may yield injunctions and damages.

Patents drive investment in technology by allowing returns on research costs. They also create thickets of rights that companies navigate through licensing. The patent document itself teaches the invention to the public once published.

• Exclusive right to an invention for a limited term
• Requires novelty, utility, and nonobviousness
• Obtained through examination of an application
• Enforced by civil infringement actions