Letters Patent Explained: Exclusive Rights and Titles in 2025 – Costs and Process

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What Are Letters Patent?

Letters patent are formal legal documents issued by a governing authority—such as a monarch, president, or corporate leader—that officially grant exclusive rights, privileges, titles, or offices to individuals or entities. These documents are publicly accessible and serve as a declaration of authority or ownership.

Key Highlights

• Letters patent are openly published legal instruments granting exclusive rights or titles.
• They are not sealed, allowing public inspection at patent offices or relevant institutions.
• Typically, letters patent confer exclusive rights to inventions or privileges for a fixed term, commonly 20 years.

Understanding the Role of Letters Patent

Predominantly rooted in English legal tradition, letters patent have been used to appoint representatives of the Crown, including governors and members of Royal Commissions. In the UK, they also establish peerage titles.

For example, shortly before her passing, Queen Elizabeth II signed letters patent granting city status to Colchester, illustrating their ongoing ceremonial importance.

In the United States, letters patent are issued to inventors, granting exclusive rights to new inventions or designs, forming the basis of modern utility and design patents under U.S. law.

Patent rights granted by letters patent are jurisdiction-specific and require the invention to offer a novel or improved solution. Unlike letters close, which are sealed and confidential, letters patent are public documents.

The term "license" is sometimes used interchangeably with patents, emphasizing the temporary exclusive rights granted for innovative processes, designs, or inventions.

Origin of the Term "Letters Patent"

The phrase derives from the Latin "litterae patentes," meaning "open letters," referring to documents openly published by a monarch to publicly declare rights or privileges.

Are Letters Patent Sealed or Publicly Granted?

Letters patent are publicly issued documents that establish legal rights and are accessible for public viewing; they are not sealed.

Letters Patent from a Monarch

A monarch’s letters patent serve as official public proclamations, often used to confer titles, offices, or formal declarations.

Conclusion

In summary, letters patent are authoritative government-issued documents granting exclusive rights or titles. They play a vital role both in modern intellectual property law and in ceremonial functions of monarchies, providing transparency and legal recognition of rights for a defined period.

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