特許
Meanings
Legal protection for an invention; used in formal, business, and technical contexts.
He obtained a patent for the new technology.
Submit an application to the Patent Office.
special permission; license; concession; charter
Official authorization or exclusive right granted by an authority; broader than a technical patent. Can refer to government licenses, concessions, or charters.
This business requires a special license from the government.
In the Edo period, merchants traded under charters granted by the shogunate.
Usage patterns
- 〈物〉の特許を取るto obtain a patent for something
It took three years to get a patent for this technology.
- 特許を申請するto apply for a patent
We applied for a patent on the new invention.
- 特許が切れるfor a patent to expire
The patent on that drug expired, and generic versions were released.
- 特許を侵害するto infringe on a patent
They were sued for infringing on another company's patent.
- 〈相手〉に特許を与えるto grant someone a special permission or charter
The government granted the company a trade charter.