Patents 101
What is a patent, and why is it useful?
Follow this short course to learn about what can be patented, the benefits of patenting your research and more. Click to get started or select a specific topic in the menu to the left.
Patent Videos Heading link
Can I Patent That?
You can’t patent an idea (like an idea for a better mousetrap), only an application of that idea in a practical invention. Novelty, utility, and non-obviousness — the holy trinity of patents.
A Patent System for Everyone
America’s Uniquely-Democratic Patent System: Why America developed the world’s first patent system for the common man, and what we got out of it as a result (hint: the strongest economy on the face of the earth).
Do Patents Really Promote Innovation?
How ironic that a system for granting exclusive rights to inventors is the greatest vehicle for knowledge-sharing and technology transfer ever devised by human beings.
