Patents

What is a patent?

A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention. Patents benefit inventors by providing them with legal protection of their inventions. However, patents also benefit the society by providing public access to technical information about these inventions, and thus accelerating innovation.

What is an invention?

An invention is a product or a process that provides a new way of doing something or offers a new technical solution to a problem that surpasses trivial solutions.

Have more questions? Read the full list of patent FAQs.

The value of patent protection

What kinds of inventions can be protected?

Patents may be granted for inventions in any field of technology, from an everyday kitchen utensil to a nanotechnology chip. An invention can be a product – such as a chemical compound, or a process, for example – a process for producing a specific chemical compound. Many products, in fact, contain a number of inventions. For example, a laptop computer can involve hundreds of inventions, working together.
Want to learn more about patent law? Explore WIPO's information on patent law and treaties , including legislative and policy advice, and the information on Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) .

Why protect inventions with patents?

The patent owner has the exclusive right to prevent or stop others from commercially exploiting the patented invention for a limited period within the country or region in which the patent was granted. In other words, patent protection means that the invention cannot be commercially made, used, distributed, imported or sold by others without the patent owner's consent. If such acts are carried out by third parties without such consent, the patent owner can go to court to seek remedies for patent infringement.
Want to protect inventions in several countries? Explore the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system .

How to protect inventions through patents?

To obtain a patent, an inventor should draft a patent application and then submit it to a national or regional intellectual property (IP) office . This process includes several steps and entails diverse costs, depending on the regional or national laws of the country or contries in which the application is filed.
An invention can be protected in one or multiple countries, depending on the business strategy and financial resources of the inventors.
Consider filing a patent application? Have a look at our How to protect inventions through patents  page.

Patent information

What is patent information?

Patent information is the information found in patent applications and granted patents. These documents provide a unique view into practically every field of technology and the legal status of patents, not accessible in any other way. The data contained in patent documents can be very useful to researchers, entrepreneurs and inventors, helping them to assess the latest developments in a specific technological field and to evaluate if their own inventions can be patented.

Want to learn how to search and analyze patent information? Explore our patent and technology information  resources.

Explore PATENTSCOPE database

Gain access to international Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)  application on the day of publication and search through more than 43 million patent documents of participating national and regional patent offices in WIPO's PATENTSCOPE database .

Patents in the real world

Read our real-world case studies  on how companies have used patents to protect their inventions.
IMAGE: KHON KAEN UNIVERSITY

Bioplastic Bags Key for Preserving Thai Produce for Export

Storing and transporting fresh fruits and vegetables is a global concern but critical for exporting countries such as Thailand. A Khon Kaen University professor developed innovative plastic bags that could extend the shelf life of produce compared to current products.
IMAGE: PLANT ORIGIN

First Thai Sustainable Vegan Egg Substitute

Plant Origin, serial entrepreneur Pasakorn Niratbhand's latest endeavor aims to revolutionize the global food industry with innovative, healthy, sustainable, and plant-based solutions. The company's product is the first Thai plant-based egg replacement.
IMAGE: JAIRO MARTÍNEZ ESCOBAR

Human-Powered Vehicle – Harvesting Energy from Humans

From penny farthings to kinetic dancefloors, inventors have long sought to harness the power of human movement. It is easy to understand why: even as you sit and read this, your body is generating enough energy to power an LED floodlight.

WIPO patent-related assistance

Training in patents

The Patent Drafting Training Program  assists users of the patent system to develop practical skills in drafting and filing patent applications.

Choose one of the WIPO Academy  general or specialized courses on IP , delivered through a combination of face-to-face and distance learning methodologies.

Join one of the many WIPO workshops and seminars  available throughout the year, online and offline, to enhance your knowledge about the use of patents-related services like, for example, PATENTSCOPE.

Assistance to inventors from developing countries

WIPO's Inventor Assistance Program  matches developing country inventors and small businesses with limited financial means with patent attorneys, who provide pro bono legal assistance to secure patent protection.

Furthermore, our Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC)  program gives innovators in developing countries access to high quality technology information and related services to help them create, protect, and manage intellectual property rights.

Assistance for IP offices

The WIPO Digital Access Service (DAS)  allows priority and other similar documents to be securely exchanged among participating intellectual property offices.

The Centralized Access to Search and Examination (CASE) system  enables patent offices to securely share the search and examination documentation related to patent applications, facilitating a more effective and efficient international examination process.

Legislative assistance

We provide wide-ranging policy and legislative assistance  to WIPO member states , upon request from national authorities. ​​​​​

News

WIPO Patents and Technology

Find out more

Find experts on environmentally-friendly technologies and get connected with others through WIPO Green , Pat-INFORMED  and other Public-Private Partnerships