Chapter 13. Patent Basics

A patent is a grant from the federal government conferring the right to exclude others from making, selling, or using an invention for the term of patent protection. Like copyrights, patents are governed exclusively by federal law. Whereas rights in trademarks arise from use and copyright rights arise from the moment a work is created, and neither requires federal registration, patents must be issued by the federal government to be protectable. There are three types of patents: those for useful objects, those for the ornamental design of an object, and those for asexually reproduced plants. This book focuses primarily on patents for useful objects, called utility patents, because they are by far the most common type ...

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