I am a student and very passionate toward science, I love to experiment with things and during one such experimentation I found out that a particular chemical when mixed with a known composition is providing a new result which has never been observed with the composition. I felt that this particular idea and result can result in a breakthrough in the area of science and also can provide me some commercial benefit. I was wondering whether there is any mechanism by which my research can reach others and at the same time help me obtain some commercial benefits.

Well to answer this precise question we do have a mechanism which will provide you with the desired result you are seeking. Filing a Patent application will help you achieve it. This raises an important question, what exactly is a Patent. Well, a Patent is a legal document in which you disclose your entire invention to the public and in return you get an exclusive right for a defined period of time to exclude others from commercial use of the invention. In other words, Patent is granted as an exclusive right by the Government for an Invention for a limited period of time in consideration of the disclosure for an invention by an applicant.

The right that a patent holder enjoys is an exclusive right to prevent a third party from an unauthorized act of making, using, offering for sale, selling or importing the patented product, process or technology within the county during the term of patent. Also, the inventor needs to maintain the patent through the term of patent by paying renewal fees to the Government authorities. The patent ceases to exist and is free to be used by the public if the patent is not maintained by non-payment of renewal fees or after the expiry of the term of patent. Things to note here is patents are territorial right, so if you want a patent protection in India you need to file the patent application in India, also the term of patent is for 20 years.

The effect of the grant of patent is quid pro quo, quid is the knowledge disclosed to the public and quo is the monopoly granted for the term of patent. The patents are territorial rights and the patents that are granted as per Indian Patent Act are valid in India only.