A patent is an industrial property title which gives the holder the exclusive right to authorise or to deny, for a maximum of twenty years, all use, reproduction, distribution or sale of the protected invention. A patent is also an effective way of discouraging infringers.

A patent protects a technical invention which may be a product or a procedure which provides a new technical solution to a technical problem. These technical solutions are the product of complex processes which result from commitment, study and research and which allow technology to progress.