What are patents? |
According to the Spanish Patents and Trademarks Office, patents are titles which recognise the right of exclusive use of the patented invention, preventing others from manufacturing, selling or using it without the consent of the owner. It is valid for around 20 years and only protects the invention in the country where application for the patent has been filed. |
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Families of patents are groups of patents for which applications have been made in different countries for the same invention. |
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Patents also help make inventions available to the public, who can use them to generate new inventions and knowledge. |
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In addition, it is one of the most widely accepted mechanisms for measuring the scientific productivity of a group or institution, i.e. it is an indicator of technology transfer. (Martínez-Méndez, 2010) |
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A patent includes the details about the invention, a detailed technical description of the invention, graphics and also the terms of the patents licence used. We should also stress that the applicant is often a legal person (university, company, etc.), rather than the inventor. |
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