6. Chemistry patents

Patents are a fundamental source of information in chemistry. A patent document (actually the publication of the application in most cases) describes the invention in all its aspects (structures covered, physico-chemical and biological properties implemented...). In return for this description, the title granted guarantees the holder's rights to exclusive exploitation for a defined period (usually 20 years), subject to payment of annual instalments. A patent is the first, and often the only, disclosure of an invention (80% are never published again). Beyond the term of protection, or in the event of lapse through invalidation of the title (validation of opposition by a third party) or non-payment of annuities, the patent "falls" into the public domain.

To establish or invalidate the patentability (innovation + utility) of a molecule, a family of products, a manufacturing...