If you have made an invention, you must report it to the university promptly (the invention description guide explains the best way to do this).
What happens next? The employer decides.
The employer can claim the invention or release it.
If the employer claims the invention
File IP rights: the employer handles filing a patent.
No costs for inventors: official fees and patent attorney costs are borne by the employer.
Inventors at universities receive 30% of the revenue generated from the invention.
If the employer releases the invention
All rights pass to you as the inventor.
Full steam ahead: inventors decide on the next steps.
Volles Risiko, voller Ertrag: Kosten und Aufwand liegen bei den Erfindern, dafür gehören mögliche Einnahmen auch vollständig dir.
Example
Claiming
Maria reports her invention to her university. The university commissions BAYPAT to assess patentability and marketability. After the review, BAYPAT recommends that the university claim the invention. The university follows this recommendation and officially claims the invention. Drafting of the patent application then begins.
Release
Maria's colleague has also made an invention and reports it to the university. Again, BAYPAT assesses patentability and marketability. However, they find a publication that already describes the core of the invention. Patenting is therefore no longer possible. For this reason, the university decides to release the invention.
Ready for the next step?
Reporting your invention is the first decisive step. Click here to start step 4 “Why is it important to act fast?”.
