Which of the following statements is true of patent enforcement?
A) The explicit purpose of patent law is to maintain secrecy of inventions for an indefinite time period.
B) Upon the expiration of a patent, an invention is removed from the public domain.
C) Beyond the duration of a patent, the owner can sue those who infringe on it.
D) Usually multiple intellectual property rights can cover the same article.
E) Patent laws include the right to use the invention.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A fundamental concept in patent law is that patents only convey the right to exclude others from making, using, selling, and importing the invention. They do not include the right to use the invention. At first glance, the latter point may seem counterintuitive. Can you really own a patent and have no right to make a product that is covered by it? The answer, surprisingly, is yes, and the key to understanding it is to realize that multiple intellectual property rights can cover the same article. There is often more than one patent to a product.

Which of the Following Statements Is True of Patent Enforcement