Patents and standards

Patents

A Patent protects new inventions and gives the owner the right to prevent others from making, using, importing or selling the invention. It covers:

• how things work
• what they do
• how they do it
• what they are made of
• how they are made

Standards

Standards are detailed documents created by internationally recognised standards organisations. Observation of certain standards is often a requirement in order to comply legally with a contract. They can relate to:

• performance
• design
• service requirements
• testing and/or specification of products and materials
• codes of practice
• vocabulary for the definition of terms
• guidance