Patend

Patend is a term with no widely agreed-upon meaning in English. It most often appears as a misspelling or typographical error of patent, the legal right granted to an inventor by a government authority. In other cases, Patend may be used as a proper noun—a brand name, a surname, or a fictional name in literature or media.

In editorial practice, patend is typically corrected to patent unless there is clear indication that the author intends the term as a stylized or fictional usage. When used intentionally as a fictional construct, its meaning is defined by the author and can describe a system of rights, a technology, organization, or concept that parallels or diverges from real-world patent law.

Patenting, patent law, and related terms: The standard concept is patent, a government-granted exclusive right to an invention, usually lasting 20 years from filing and subject to fees and examination. The phrase patent pending indicates that a patent application has been filed but not yet granted.

See also: Patent, Patent pending, Intellectual property.