You Have a Patent…Now What?

What is a patent? A patent occurs when the federal government, in exchange for the complete disclosure of an invention, gives an inventor a set of exclusive property rights for an invention for a definite period of time. These rights are not normal property rights. A patent does not mean you are entitled to manufacture, sell, use, or import your specific invention, rather a patent gives you the “right of exclusion” over an invention. A right of exclusion enables you to exclude others from manufacturing, selling, using, or importing your specific invention.