FAQ's

Commonly Asked Questions and Answers About Patents & Licensing
This information is provided as a service to University faculty, staff and students who may be interested in patenting or licensing products of their research. It is not intended as a substitute for the University's or the Office of Technology Development's policies concerning patents, copyrights and the licensing of inventions. The complete policies which govern these and related activities are available from the Office of Technology Development.

General Information
Have I made an invention?
What is a patentable invention?
Is my invention worth patenting?
What is a patent?
What about publications and the one-year grace period for U.S. patent protection?
What about publications and foreign patent rights?
How does my invention get licensed?
What happens when the University is unsuccessful in marketing an invention?
Who are the members of the University Patent Committee?

Procedural Information
What should I do when I think I may have made an invention?
When should a Report of Invention be prepared and submitted?
How to submit a grant proposal that discloses a potential invention.
How much time is all this going to take?

Disclosure Information
What must I disclose to the University?
What about nonpatentable discoveries?
Do I have an obligation to disclose a useful discovery that may not be patentable?
Are there requirements for disclosing my invention as a consequence of the funding source?
Do I have to disclose "on the shelf" products of my research?
What if my invention is made on my own time?
Will the disclosure process interfere with my publication plans?

Co-inventors
What about co-inventors?
What are the rights of co-inventors who are outside the University?
What about co-inventors within the University?

Summary of Patent and Copyright Procedures and Policies