A patent is an exclusive right permitted by the government to the inventor for an invention which is a new and inventive solution to an existing technological problem. The exclusive rights include the right to exploit the invention commercially and also it acts as a barrier for others from intervening in such exploitation, in the case of intervening the patentee have the right to sue and get compensation for his damages. The patent rights are granted for a limited period of time in exchange for complete public disclosure of the invention. In India, Patent is being governed by the Patent Act 1970 & Patent Rules 1972. By patenting an invention, the patentee is able to sale that, importing that product, using that or making renewal of that for life long. If you file for patient registration its applicable for the coming 20 years. Important point is that you can patent your invention for a period, not life long. you can patient anything, related to many fields like science, arts, culture, tradition, literature etc. there is a different firm to the patient registration process.