Patent — a document certifying the authorship of an invention and the exclusive right to use it for a certain period of time.
A patent is issued by the state patent office to the inventor or his legal successor. The effect of a patent extends only to the territory of the state in which it was issued. The term of validity of a patent is established by national legislation (as a rule, 15–20 years).
In a narrow sense, a "patent" is a protective document certifying the priority, authorship and ownership of an invention.
The patent is valid on the territory of the state that issued it. A patent can be issued in the name of the author or another natural or legal person.
Invention patent - a technical solution that is new, useful in economic activity and can be practically applied. An invention recognized by official experts can receive legal protection from the state and become an object of industrial property, which is evidenced by a special law enforcement document called a patent.
Utility model patent- a new technical solution that does not follow from the existing level of technology and is industrially suitable; the result of human intellectual activity in any field of technology.
A patent is obtained by submitting a patent application to the relevant patent office. A patent application must include a description of the invention and, in some jurisdictions, evidence of its utility.