What are the benefits of patent protection?

What are the benefits of patent protection?

4 May 2009

What are the benefits of patent protection?

By Jane Coyle

A patent gives you the right to stop others from copying, manufacturing, selling, and importing your invention without your permission. The very existence of your patent may be enough on its own to stop others from trying to exploit your invention. If not, it gives you the right to take legal action to stop them exploiting your invention and to claim damages.

A patent also allows you to:

sell the invention and all the intellectual property (IP) rights;

license the invention to someone else but retain all the IP rights;

discuss the invention with others in order to set up a business based around the invention.

The public also benefit from your patent because the UK IPO will publish it after 18 months. Others can then gain advance knowledge of technological developments which they will eventually be able to use freely once the patent ceases.

If you do not patent your invention, anyone can to use, make or sell your invention without your permission. You can attempt to keep your invention secret, but this may not be possible for a product where the technology is on display.