A patent is a set of exclusive rights in an invention, granted by the government of a given country to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time (i.e., a limited monopoly) in exchange for a disclosure of that invention.

The procedure for granting patents, the requirements placed on the patent owner, and the extent of the exclusive rights awarded can vary widely between countries according to national laws and international agreements. Generally, however, a patent application must include one or more claims that define the invention in such a way as to highlight one or more features of the invention that are determined to be sufficiently unique as compared to all other relevant information that is publicly available as of the application filing date (known as the "prior art"). The exclusive right granted to a patent owner in most countries is the right to prevent others from from making, using, selling, offering for sale, or importing the patented invention in that country without permission.

Beyond these advantages, oftentimes a patent provides the necessary leverage or bargaining position for an independent inventor or start-up to sell or license the patented invention. In fact, oftentimes potential investors, licensees, or purchasers won't even take a meeting with you unless your product/technology is at least "patent pending." In other words, this exclusivity can add significant value to a company, both for keeping competitors at bay and to attract potential investors/licensees/purchasers.

Master Key IP represents clients in a wide variety of technologies and is experienced in assisting those clients in not only obtaining sound patent protection in the United States, but internationally as well.

For more information on patents, please visit our Patent Resources page.

Otherwise, if you are interested in pursuing patent protection on your invention, please use the menu to the left to learn more about some of the patent services that we offer. Or feel free to simply call 888-789-5789 or email us to schedule your FREE initial consultation.