A patent provides protection for an 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.
Select an Issue
TAP Blog
The Case for Patents, a new book by Northwestern University business and law professor Daniel Spulber, emphasizes the importance of incentives for invention, innovation, and technology adoption.
March 12, 2021
View all blog posts about Patents
Upcoming Events
22nd Annual Berkeley-Stanford Advanced Patent Law Institute
December 9, 2021,
Berkeley Asia IP SEP Talk: The 5G+ / IoT Challenges
December 14, 2021,
View all upcoming events about Patents
Fact Sheets
A patent provides an exclusive legal right to an invention for a limited period of time, in exchange for public disclosure of that innovation. As with other property rights, patents may be sold, transferred, or licensed for a third party’s use.
View all fact sheets about Patents
Quote
"The best way to resolve this issue is not to change policy approaches." — Mark Lemley, Professor of Law, Stanford University
View all academics' quotes on Patents
Featured Article
Some observers are concerned that standard setting unfairly benefits the owners of standard essential patents (SEPs). However, standard setting organizations (SSOs) usually choose rules that benefit all.
June 8, 2018
View all articles on Patents