Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of patents?

Patents are legal protections granted to inventions, and they have specific requirements that must be met in order for an invention to be eligible for patent protection. The characteristics typically associated with patents include novelty, nonobviousness, and utility.

Novelty refers to the requirement that the invention must be new, meaning it has not been disclosed or used publicly before the patent application is filed. Nonobviousness means that the invention must not be an obvious improvement over existing inventions to a person having ordinary skill in the field related to the invention. Utility requires that the invention must have a specific, substantial, and credible utility, meaning it must serve a practical purpose.

Complexity, however, is not a recognized characteristic that affects patent eligibility. An invention can be complex or simple; this characteristic does not relate to whether it qualifies for a patent. Thus, the assertion that complexity is a characteristic of patents is inaccurate.