Patents also prevent others from using the invention for a limited period. Just as copyright protects an author s work, so a patent protects an inventor. Both copyright and patents protect the fruits of creative ingenuity, whether artistic or technical. Normally patents are granted for 20 years from the date of filing and are available for all types of technology. Without the prospect of patent protection many research projects would not start.
Patents are an essential prerequisite for investing in research and development.
Nor does the grant of a patent involve the subtraction of rights of the public. Valid patents are only granted for inventions that are both new and non-obvious. So a patent cannot monopolise something known to the public or something easily derivable from what was known. Patents do not give a positive permission for an inventor to exploit an invention. All they do is to enable the inventor to prevent others from doing the exploiting without permission.