Intellectual property rights are divided into a number of
different categories, each of which is regulated by its own act, or
by the common law. Patents and designs make up two of these
categories. The proprietor of a patent or registered design is
afforded a legal monopoly over an invention or design, so that it
can have and enjoy, for a limited period of time only, the whole
profit and advantage accruing by reason of the invention or
design.
A patent is an exclusive right granted by the government to an
inventor, or another party who has acquired from the inventor the
right in the invention, in exchange for a full disclosure of the
invention to the public, and can only be obtained for an invention
which is new, inventive and capable of being applied in trade or
industry or agriculture. Due to the novelty requirement, it is
vital that an invention be kept secret, or only disclosed to third
parties in confidence, before a patent application is filed.
