A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides, in general, a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem. To get a patent, technical information about the invention must be disclosed to the public in a patent application. A patent is typically granted by a government agency. Technology and software companies often have patents for their designs.
Patent is one of three types of intellectual property - trademarks, copyrights and patents.