Final answer:
A patent is a government-enforced barrier to entry that grants exclusive rights to an inventor to manufacture, use, or sell an invention for a certain number of years.
Step-by-step explanation:
A patent is a government-enforced barrier to entry. It grants exclusive rights to an inventor to manufacture, use, or sell an invention for a certain number of years. This means that others are prohibited from copying or using the patented invention without the inventor's permission.