How long does it take to get a patent?

How long does it take to get a patent?

It can vary between 1 year (the quickest) and 5-6 years. It can take even longer than that in some countries. Although this sounds terrible, it actually often works to your advantage. The invention can be made and sold, and the patent can be licensed while the application is pending. The only thing you cannot do until the patent is granted is to sue infringers.

A pending patent application is more difficult for a competitor to attempt to design around, because the wording of the claims is not fixed, and the competitor will not know exactly what he can and what he cannot do.