Letters patent are letters by which governments grants monopoly rights to inventors. In the United Kingdom and other countries, the sovereign may also use letters patent to make grants of nobility. Letters patent are usually written on vellum (fine parchment) and are marked with the seal of the authority granting the patent.
An inventor is entitled to apply for letters patent for an invention. The inventor must complete a specification (detailed description) of the invention and pay a fee to have it filed at a patent office. If the patent officials accept the claim, the inventor pays an additional fee and receives a patent stamped with an official seal.
