A patent is a Governement granted intellectual property right to protect inventions, as a territorial right for a limited period.
A patent makes it illegal for anyone except the owner or someone with the owner’s permission to make, use, import or sell the invention in the country where the patent was granted.
In the UK a patent has a life of 20 years and provides protection throughout the UK so long as renewal fees are paid every year.
For a patent to be granted the invention must be:
- Novel
- Inventive
- Have industrial applicability
