Answer:
B. Knowing inventions can be protected encourages people to create new things.
Step-by-step explanation:
A patent is a form of legal right given to inventors to prevent others from making, copying, selling or using their invention for a limited period (usually 20 years).
There are 3 types of patents: utility patents, design patents, and plant patents.
Patents encourage competition because they compel others to be original and invent their own things.
Also, when someone is granted exclusive monopoly of their invention, they tend to have more incentive to make advances in their fields.