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Letters patent

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letters patent

–noun Law.
a written or printed instrument issued by a sovereign power, conferring upon a patentee some right, as the exclusive right to land or the exclusive right to make, use, and sell an invention for a limited time.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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letters patent  
pl.n.  A document issued by a government to a patentee granting an exclusive right to the enjoyment or possession of an invention.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: letters patent
see LETTER 2
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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