You know it has to do with product and invention protection – but what are patents, exactly?

Patents are one type of intellectual property protection, along with copyrights and trademarks. Patents generally apply to concrete inventions – like tools, machinery, and Thomas Edison’s famous light bulb – or to processes, like a new business process or software. Possible examples of patents might include a functioning hovercraft, a more efficient device to water a garden, a new formula for shampoo, or a checklist system to improve doctor efficiency at a hospital. Successful patents for inventions and innovations like these ensure the inventor’s safety from patent infringement and costly patent lawsuits for up to 20 years from the date the patent application process begins.

Note that a patent does not cover a brand or a product itself – this would require trademark protection. Strict requirements govern the issuing of a patent, such as a light bulb, whereas a unique product name and brand image can be trademarked for a product regardless of its uniqueness – such as Edison Light Bulbs®.