Imagine that you have developed a groundbreaking electronic product. Your product is going to revolutionize the industry and take the world by storm. You don’t want your competitors to copy the product, compete with you, or undercut the price. At the very least, you want them to pay you compensation for making their competing product.
You know that if you want to protect the product, you should file a patent application. So, you hire a patent lawyer and file a U.S. patent application. Problem solved, right? Time to start manufacturing and marketing your product.
But wait, a patent is a national right. In other words, a U.S. patent would only stop the manufacture, sale, use, or importation into the U.S. of competing products. Competitors from non-U.S. countries will still be able to manufacture and sell competing products in other countries.