Patent law for non-lawyers A patent gives one the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling an invention in the United States or importing an invention into the United States. A patent does not give you the right to make, use, sell, or import a given invention - it allows you to prevent others from doing so.
Patent laws vary in other countries, and United States patents are only valid in the United States.
This section is written assuming the reader has some knowledge of the principles of genetic engineering and biotechnology.