What a patent is and how long it lasts
A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, limited in time and to the country or region that grants it.
- The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) defines a patent as an exclusive right granted for an invention.1
- WIPO says patents also benefit society by giving the public access to technical information about the inventions.1
- Patent protection is generally granted for 20 years from the filing date of the application, according to WIPO.2
- In the United States, utility and plant patents from applications filed on or after 8 June 1995 last twenty years from the filing date. Patents in force on that date, or granted from earlier applications, last the greater of that term or seventeen years from grant.3
- Patents are territorial rights. A patent gives exclusive rights only in the country or region where it was granted, and WIPO says there is no single worldwide patent.1,2
- To be patentable an invention must generally be new, involve an inventive step that could not be obviously deduced by a skilled person, and be capable of industrial application.2
Sources
- World Intellectual Property Organization, Patents (accessed 2026-10-27)
- World Intellectual Property Organization, Frequently Asked Questions: Patents (accessed 2026-10-27)
- United States Patent and Trademark Office, MPEP 2701 Patent Term (R-01.2024)