A __ is a form of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of years.

• A. Trademark
• B. Copyright
• C. Patent
• D. Trade secret

Answer: (C)

The key idea here is that a patent is a form of intellectual property that gives the owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of years. Patents are granted after a formal review and require that the invention is novel, non-obvious, and useful. In return for sharing the invention's details with the public, the inventor gains exclusive rights for a set term—typically about 20 years from filing in many places. Once the term ends, anyone can use the invention.

Other forms of IP work differently: trademarks protect brand names and logos, not the invention itself; copyrights shield original creative works like books or software; trade secrets cover confidential information that provides a business advantage as long as it remains secret.