Intellectual property stems directly from the inventive or creative capacity of the human intellect (knowledge, technology and knowledge) of its creators.
Patents are one of the oldest forms of protection of intellectual property and aim to encourage economic and technological development by rewarding creativity.
A patent is a document that describes an invention and creates a legal situation in which the invention can be exploited only with the authorization of the patent holder. In other words, a patent protects an invention and grants the holder exclusive rights to use his invention for a limited period of time in a given country.
It is granted, upon request, by a government agency (generally a Patent Office) and any natural or legal person can file a patent application, as long as they have legitimacy to obtain it, being called a depositor or applicant. Below are some examples of granted patents.