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What is a patent?
Patents apply to newly developed technology as well as to improvements on products or processes. Patents provide a time-limited, legally protected, exclusive right to make, use and sell an invention. In this way, patents serve as a reward for ingenuity.
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What is a patent?
Learn more from the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. -
A guide to patentsThis guide provides you with an introduction to patents, and will help you understand what patents are and get started with your patent application.
University of Waterloo patent guidance and expertise
Additional patent resources
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Google PatentsGoogle Patents includes over 120 million patent publications from 100+ patent offices around the world, as well as many more technical documents and books indexed in Google Scholar and Google Books.
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Free Patents OnlinePrimarily US-based coverage