patent (of invention)

patent (of invention) definition - legal

n

The granting of a right or authority by the federal government; the document granting that right or authority; an exclusive right to make, use, or sell an invention granted to the inventor of a unique device or process for a specified period of time (usually 20 years). See new and useful.
design patent
Patent granted for a new appearance to an existing item.
plant patent
Patent granted for a new variety of plant, granted to person who discovers and reproduces same.

Webster's New World Law Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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