One word

A gives the person who owns it the right to stop other people from making, using, or selling the invention (like a new drug). They are obtained by filing a patent application in the U.S. Patent Office, which examines the application. The U.S. Patent Office grants one of these if the invention is new, useful, and non-obvious. If it is granted, it is valid for up to 20 years from the day the patent application was filed.