1. a person or organization that holds a patent for an invention
Usage: legal

Examples

• The patentee has exclusive rights to manufacture the device for twenty years.
• As the patentee, she can license her invention to other companies.
• The court ruled in favor of the patentee in the infringement case.
• The patentee must pay annual fees to maintain the patent.
• Several companies approached the patentee about purchasing the rights.
• The patentee decided to sell the patent to a larger corporation.