The publicly available information through patent causes problems for the commercialization of knowledge. Anybody can use the freely available technical knowledge from the invention for commercial benefits without recognizing the creativity of the inventor or contribution to the investments made by the inventor. This results in discouragement to bring new inventions to the market, and tend to keep their commercially valuable inventions secret. Patenting system helps to correct such situations by giving the innovators the possibility to receive appropriate returns on their innovative activities.
In other words, the public disclosure of the technical knowledge in the patent, and the exclusive right granted by the patent, offer incentives for competitors to search for alternative solutions and to “invent around” the first invention. The incentives and the dissemination of knowledge about new inventions encourage new innovation, which assures that the quality of human life and the well-being of society is continuously improved.