New U.S. patent offices create hubs of innovation and economic activity

Patents are more than just boring legal documents. “A patent is the link between R&D and the legal processes,” notes Pierre Buffet, executive vice president of intellectual property information firm Questel. “Patents can be used for various interesting business purposes outside of simply protecting a new invention,” adds Director Ronald Kaminecki with Dialog LLC.

Laboratory managers and team leaders, because of their knowledge of how research on a project unfolds, often play critical roles in deciding inventorship issues. Correct inventorship has to be considered whenever one or more of your staff members submit an invention disclosure to be considered for filing as a patent application.

Understanding disclosure can prevent the loss of valuable patent rights.