A patent provides protection for an invention to the owner of the patent. The protection is granted for a limited period, generally 20 years. Patent protection means that the invention cannot be commercially made, used, distributed or sold without the patent owner's consent.
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TAP Academics
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TAP Blog
In honor of World IP Day, TAP highlights a few of the articles and scholars that examine intellectual property technology-policy issues.
April 26, 2018
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Fact Sheets
A patent is an exclusive legal right to own and market an invention or improvement for a limited period of time, in exchange for public disclosure of the invention.
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"If they can screen out bad patents, the application becomes more attractive to potential licensees. The value of his system is how much noise there is. I know there's lots of bad patents out there." — Mark Schankerman, Professor of Economics, London School of Economics
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Featured Article
We study how the market for innovation affects enforcement of patent rights.
January 22, 2013
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