On Fri, Jun 22, 2012 at 4:37 PM, Robin Uyeshiro <[email protected]>wrote:
> I'd like to comment a bit on patent ownership/control/etc. Patents are > "assigned" by the (US) patent office, usually, these days, to the company > for whom the inventor works. No, the patent is assigned by the inventor to the company. The PTO just records the assignment. > "Ownership" is not a term used. "Control" can > be problematic, if the inventor changes employment. If you invent > something > for which a patent is issued and assigned to your company, then you change > employment, then neither you nor the company you currently work for > "control" that patent. This is just not correct. If the patent is assigned to the company, and the inventor leaves the company, the company still owns and controls the patent. > But you should probably still disclose the patent. > Yes.
