The right granted to an inventor for a limited time to exclusively own and control a new, useful and non obvious invention is known as what?

• A. Trademark
• B. Patent
• C. Copyright
• D. Trade secret

Answer: (B)

A patent is the protection that gives an inventor exclusive rights to exploit a new, useful, and non-obvious invention for a limited period. This means the inventor can prevent others from making, using, selling, or importing the invention without permission for a set time, typically 20 years from filing for a utility patent in the United States. To qualify, the invention must be novel (not previously disclosed), useful (have a practical purpose), and non-obvious to someone skilled in the field. This protection is distinct from trademarks (brand identifiers), copyrights (original works of authorship), and trade secrets (confidential business information). So the description matches a patent best because it centers on exclusive rights to an invention for a limited time based on novelty and non-obviousness.