Right to exclude- A patent is NOT a right to make, use, or
sell an invention, rather it IS the right to EXCLUDE others from making, using,
selling, or importing the invention.
Duration - A US patent
expires 20 years after the filing date.
Requirements - An invention
must be useful (35 U.S.C. 101), novel (35 U.S.C. 102), and not obvious to a
person skilled in the art (35 U.S.C. 103).
Enforcement - A United
States patent is only enforceable in the United States. Individual foreign
patents are required to enforce in foreign countries.