It consists of a short title, together with a printed copy of the specifications and claims, a patent number, and a grant to the patentee and his or her heirs and assignees for a period of 17 years. In the case of design patents, the period of the patent is 14 years. Every patent must be applied for by the actual inventor, and if two or more parties make an invention jointly they must apply jointly. If the inventor dies or becomes insane before making application, a legal representative or guardian is permitted to do so. Once a patent is granted, it is out of the jurisdiction of the Patent and Trademark Office, and matters of infringement, the scope of the patent, or any other questions that arise out of the grant are within the jurisdiction of the U.S. district courts.
Infringement consists of wrongfully making, using, or selling a patented invention.
The remedy for an infringement is an action for damages or for a restraining injunction, or both. In general, a patent affords protection against infringement only within the jurisdiction of the government by which it is issued, and it is therefore necessary to take out a patent in every country in which protection is desired. A copyright is not a patent, because it applies to literary and other works.