A patent is described by the World Intellectual Property Organisation as an exclusive right given for an invention. This right applies to a product or a process that either introduces a novel way of doing something or presents a new technical solution to a problem. To be granted a patent, the inventor is required to share technical details of the invention with the public through the patent application process.
Espacenet offers free access to more than 90 million patent documents worldwide, containing information about inventions and technical developments from 1836 to today. The worldwide database contains information on published patent applications and granted patents from over 90 patent-granting authorities.
For information on how to use Espacenet go to the Espacenet help page
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