A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that
provides, in general, a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a
problem. In order to be patentable, the invention must fulfill certain conditions. A patent provides protection for the invention to the owner of the patent. The protection is
granted for a limited period, generally 20 years.!
Patent protection means that the invention cannot be commercially made, used, distributed or
sold without the patent owner's consent. These patent rights are usually enforced in a court,
which, in most systems, holds the authority to stop patent infringement. Conversely, a court can
also declare a patent invalid upon a successful challenge by a third party. A patent owner has the right to decide who may - or may not - use the patented invention for the
period in which the invention is protected. The patent owner may give permission to, or license,
other parties to use the invention on mutually agreed terms. The owner may also sell the right to other parties to use the invention on mutually agreed terms. The owner may also sell the right to
the invention to someone else, who will then become the new owner of the patent. Once a patent
expires, the protection ends, and an invention enters the public domain, that is, the owner no
longer holds exclusive rights to the invention, which becomes available to commercial
exploitation by others.