Some people confuse patents, copyrights, and trademarks.
It gives the patent holder the right, for a limited time, to exclude others from making, using, or selling the subject matter that is within the scope of protection granted by the patent. The PTO determines whether a patent should be granted in a particular case. However, it is up to the patent holder to enforce his or her own rights if the PTO does grant a patent. The term of a new patent is 20 years from the date on which the application for the patent was filed in the United States or, in special cases, from the date an earlier related application was filed, subject to the payment of maintenance fees. US patent grants are effective only within the US, US territories, and US possessions.