noun
Legal protection for an invention; used in formal, business, and technical contexts.
彼は新しい技術の特許を取得した。
He obtained a patent for the new technology.
特許庁に申請を出す。
Submit an application to the Patent Office.
noun
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.
この事業には政府の特許が必要だ。
This business requires a special license from the government.
江戸時代、商人は幕府から特許を得て貿易を行った。
In the Edo period, merchants traded under charters granted by the shogunate.