Exploiting your patent

Your patent or patent application is a piece of property.  It can appear as an asset on your balance sheet.  You can sell it or even mortgage it.

You can also grant licences under it, allowing other people to use your invention usually in return for a royalty or other type of payment.

Alternatively you may want to use it to protect your own activities, keeping competitors away whilst you establish yourself an exclusive position in the market place.

Remember that if you have a patent for technology that others want access to, you can use it as a bargaining chip in all your commercial negotiations.  It can also help you to attract and reassure investors.