What are Patent Rights?

May 29, 2008
Intellectual Property News and Interesting Facts

What exactly are your patent rights?

A patent is a set of exclusive rights that enable you to exclude anyone from making, using, selling or offering for sale the patented invention without your express permission.

A patent right is regarded as property, and in terms of the Law it may be disposed of in the same way as property. So it may be licensed out for the use of others; it may be sold, assigned or transferred, mortgaged, given away, or even just abandoned.

By these means you can enjoy all of the profit from your invention for the duration of the patent rights, in the case of South Africa this is for 20 years. If someone contravenes your rights there is no call upon the Patent Office.

It would be up to you to consult a lawyer and to sue the offending party in the civil courts.

Patent Links

1. Gadget Invention Patent Application – Even before you take the gadget invention to another party for review and assistance, file the all important provisional patent application.
2. How to Patent Inventions – To protect your rights as an inventor you need to file patent applications for your inventions in each country, where protection is sought.
3. Protect your Invention – For public disclosure and protection of an invention, the inventor needs to apply for a patent.
4. Patent Application – Contact Request