Filed in archive Overview on July 8, 2010

Patent- The Right to Invent

© Ismael Olea

A patent is essentially a limited monopoly whereby the patent holder is granted the exclusive right by the national government, to make, use, and sell the patented innovation for a limited period of time. The specific area of law which is used to enforce patent rights is known as patent law. The procedure for granting patents, the requirements placed on the patentee, and the extent of the exclusive rights vary widely between countries according to national laws and international agreements.
The primary requirements for patentability are:
• Patentable subject matter: This requirement addresses the issue of which types of inventions will be considered for invention
• Utility: The invention must be useful.
• Novelty: Novelty requires that the invention was not known or used by others in the country.
• Enablement: The enablement requirement is directly related to the specification, or disclosure, which must be included as part of every patent application.
For acquiring a patent, patent applications are to be submitted first.