To prevent this from happening, institutions must have quality review procedures in place. The owner of a registered copyright enjoys the ability of blocking the unauthorized copying or public performance of a work protected by copyright. Foreign Patents Countries outside the United States can account for about two-thirds of the total world market, especially in high technology products. A company wanting to commercialize university technology will want to sell that technology in as many national markets as it can in order to maximize profit. Even when the only market being considered is the US market, lack of foreign patent protection may invite 'pirates' to set up business in other countries and illegally import these goods into the United States.
Most companies prefer that foreign patent rights be as prosecutable as United States patent rights.
Virtually all foreign governments have patent laws that are different from the United States' in at least one key area. The United States grants a grace period of one year between first public disclosure of an invention and filing of a patent application, whereas almost no other country does so. Most countries follow what is called the requirement of Absolute Novelty. This means that if an invention is publicly disclosed without a patent application having already been filed, then all foreign patent rights are lost. There is, however, an exception by means of patent treaties with sixty countries.