Okuzeka
Contract & Commercial Law vocabulary · Intellectual Property

Patent

Meaning in contract & commercial law, with examples

/ˈpætnt/nounCore term

In contract & commercial law, patent means: An exclusive right, granted by the state for a limited period, to make, use and sell an invention in exchange for publicly disclosing how it works.

In Turkish: patent, patent hakkı

How it is used

A patent usually lasts 20 years from the filing date and only protects inventions that are new, inventive and industrially applicable. You apply for, file, grant, license or infringe a patent. 'Patent pending' means an application is still being examined.

Example sentences

  1. The company holds patents on the battery design in 30 countries.

  2. We filed a patent application before presenting the device at the trade fair.

Common collocations

  • file a patent application
  • grant a patent
  • patent infringement
  • patent pending
  • hold a patent
  • intellectual propertyLegal rights over creations of the mind, such as inventions, brands, designs, software and written works; the main types are patents, trademarks, copyright and designs.
  • infringementThe use of someone else's intellectual property, such as a patent, trademark or copyright, without permission.
  • licensePermission from the owner of a right, such as a patent, trademark or software, allowing someone else to use it under agreed conditions, often in return for payment.
  • royaltyA payment made to the owner of a right, such as a patent, brand, book or song, usually calculated as a percentage of sales or a fee per unit sold.

More terms: Intellectual Property

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level:

This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.