A patent is a temporary exclusion right on the exploitation of a technical invention. A patent is limited in time and valid until up to maximum 20 years after the filing of the patent application. A patent offers its owner the right to prohibit others (alleged infringers) to exploit what is patented.

A patent is, like any intellectual property right, in principle only valid in a certain territory, usually a country. To protect an invention in multiple countries, a patent application has to be filed for each of the countries in question. Every country has its own patent legislation, which regulates the application and granting of patents in that country.

There are also European and international conventions and treaties, which facilitate obtaining corresponding patents in multiple countries.