Academic Integrity in a Digital Age

A patent is a right granted by the government to the owner of a certain creation that prevents others from making, using, trading or selling the creation without his or her permission (UNESCO, 2015; Prabhala, 2010). A patentable creation can be a product or a process that gives a new solution to a problem, a way of doing things, a work of new product, or a technical enhancement on how certain things work. Patents are awarded to a person who then becomes the owner of that creation. In education patent is all about providing exclusive rights to new invention with a view to increase the pace of invention through motivation and competition (Vairis & Petousis, 2015). As people compete in a fair ground to increase access to technology, knowledge and skills about new ideas and or inventions. In the case of technology, patent can be made to products made in the country in order to increase innovation as something might be new in a local country but not new in the world.

The duration of patent often knows as ‘term of protection’ refers to a period of 20 years counted from the filing date. Once it is awarded, a patent is termed as a contract and it can last for a period of 20 years from the date of signing the contract, subject to the payment of annual renewal fees. There are some benefits once you register a patent, which can be used to raise funds for economical purposes, license it to third parties for commercial returns or a patented creation can also be transferred, assigned or licensed to a third party upon certain terms and conditions. The main benefit of patents is excluding others from using the innovation without the owner’s permission. Corporation and individuals have become rich because of patents such as Apple, Nokia, Facebook, Alibaba, Coca Cola and many others.

Patents are governed by international convention such as Paris Convention, Patent Cooperation Treaty and national laws such as the Patents Act, 1987 in Tanzania.