Final answer:
A patent is a government-granted right that provides an inventor with the exclusive legal right to make, use, or sell an invention for a limited time, usually 20 years.
Step-by-step explanation:
A government-granted exclusive right to produce and sell a creation is known as a patent. A patent allows an inventor the exclusive legal right to make, use, or sell an invention for a limited time. Patents are crucial for promoting innovation by providing inventors with a period during which they can recoup their investment in research and development without competition. In the United States, the exclusive patent rights typically last for 20 years.