Legal Definitions - public grant

A public grant, also known as a patent, is a government-issued right, privilege, or authority given to an individual or organization. It can refer to a document that grants ownership of public land to a private person or the right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a specified period.

For example, a land patent is an official document that conveys a grant of public land to a private person. A patent for an invention gives the inventor the exclusive right to prevent others from making, using, or selling the invention for 20 years from the date of filing.

It is important to note that owning a patent does not automatically grant the right to make, use, or sell anything if it would infringe on another's blocking patent. Additionally, there are different types of patents, such as design patents for protecting the appearance of a product and utility patents for protecting the function of a product.