{"id":2869,"date":"2025-02-07T13:17:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T20:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tangibly.com\/?p=2869"},"modified":"2025-08-10T13:17:56","modified_gmt":"2025-08-10T20:17:56","slug":"what-is-a-patent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tangibly.com\/ja\/what-is-a-patent\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Patent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.23.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.23.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221;][et_pb_column _builder_version=&#8221;4.23.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.23.1&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;c7fc7dc6-8bc1-48d5-9910-ae1003052586&#8243; theme_builder_area=&#8221;post_content&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<h2>An Introduction to what is a patent<\/h2>\n<p>A patent is a government-granted right that gives an inventor exclusive control over a new and useful invention for a limited period of time. In exchange, the inventor must publicly disclose how the invention works.<\/p>\n<p>Patents are a foundational part of intellectual property law. They allow individuals and companies to protect innovation, attract investment, and prevent others from copying or profiting from their work without permission.<\/p>\n<p>But they are not always the best tool for every kind of innovation. Understanding how patents work is essential for choosing the right protection strategy.<\/p>\n<h3>What does a patent protect?<\/h3>\n<p>A patent protects the way something works or how it is made. This can include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A physical product, such as a new type of medical device<\/li>\n<li>A process or method, like a manufacturing technique or software workflow<\/li>\n<li>A composition of matter, such as a new chemical formula or pharmaceutical compound<\/li>\n<li>A machine or system, such as an engine or automated system<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To qualify for patent protection, an invention must be:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Novel: It must be new and not already publicly known<\/li>\n<li>Non-obvious: It must not be an obvious improvement or change to something already known<\/li>\n<li>Useful: It must have a practical application<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How long does a patent last?<\/h3>\n<p>Most patents last 20 years from the date of filing. During this time, the patent holder has the exclusive right to make, use, sell, and license the invention.<\/p>\n<p>After the patent expires, the invention enters the public domain. Anyone can use it freely without seeking permission or paying royalties.<\/p>\n<h3>What is disclosed in a patent?<\/h3>\n<p>To obtain a patent, the inventor must submit a detailed description of how the invention works. This disclosure is published publicly. Anyone can search, read, and study the contents of a patent.<\/p>\n<p>That disclosure is part of the tradeoff. In return for time-limited exclusivity, the inventor gives up secrecy. For this reason, patents are not always the best choice for protecting sensitive or proprietary information.<\/p>\n<h3>When is a patent the right tool?<\/h3>\n<p>Patents are effective when you want to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Prevent others from creating or selling a specific invention<\/li>\n<li>License or sell a technology in a transparent way<\/li>\n<li>Attract funding by showing a strong IP portfolio<\/li>\n<li>Establish ownership in a crowded or competitive market<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>However, they may not be ideal when:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The invention can be easily reverse engineered from the product<\/li>\n<li>The value lies in know-how or internal processes that are not disclosed to the public<\/li>\n<li>The invention will evolve quickly and filing updates would be expensive<\/li>\n<li>Disclosure would give competitors a roadmap to replicate or work around your idea<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In these situations, companies may choose to rely on trade secrets instead.<\/p>\n<h3><b>Key takeaways<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>A patent gives exclusive rights to an invention in exchange for public disclosure<\/li>\n<li>It protects how something works, not just how it looks or is branded<\/li>\n<li>Patent rights typically last 20 years<\/li>\n<li>Public disclosure makes patents unsuitable for certain types of innovation<\/li>\n<li>In some cases, trade secret protection is a better fit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How Tangibly can help<\/h3>\n<p>Many companies patent too quickly or without understanding the tradeoffs. Others skip protection entirely and leave valuable innovation exposed.<\/p>\n<p>Tangibly helps companies design smarter IP strategies by identifying what should be patented, what should be protected as a trade secret, and where the two approaches can work together.<\/p>\n<p>Our platform combines legal expertise and AI tools to help you assess risk, protect sensitive know-how, and build a strong foundation for long-term value.<\/p>\n<p>Interested in learning more about IP strategy? Meet with an expert.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An Introduction to what is a patent A patent is a government-granted right that gives an inventor exclusive control over a new and useful invention for a limited period of time. In exchange, the inventor must publicly disclose how the invention works. Patents are a foundational part of intellectual property law. They allow individuals and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":2871,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"dipi_cpt_category":[],"class_list":["post-2869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-intro-to-trade-secrets"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tangibly.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tangibly.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tangibly.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tangibly.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tangibly.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2869"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tangibly.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2869\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tangibly.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tangibly.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tangibly.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tangibly.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2869"},{"taxonomy":"dipi_cpt_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tangibly.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dipi_cpt_category?post=2869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}