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Best Practices for Inventors

Good record keeping

Since U.S. patent policy rewards an inventor who is the first to invent, the maintenance of good laboratory records is important. Experiments should be written out and explained in a bound notebook. Data may be maintained in separate folders referenced in the laboratory notebook. Pages of the notebook should be dated and signed regularly and should be periodically witnessed. It is best if they are also periodically witnessed, signed and dated by a knowledgeable colleague who is not likely to be named as a co-inventor.

Visit G-40, University of California Patent Program, Appendix E, Suggestions for Invention Record Keeping for more information. http://www.ucop.edu/ucophome/policies/bfb/g40e.html

Strategy for public disclosure - Preventing loss of foreign rights

Obviously discussion within a research group is permissible, but discussion with others can be interpreted as public disclosure, including departmental seminars or "enabling" detailed discussions with visitors.

If you have questions, please confer with Technology Transfer. The best way to avoid public disclosure is to not discuss your experiments in a manner that others can readily duplicate. If you seek advice from outsiders, then a Confidentiality Agreement may be needed. In any discussions with representatives from companies it is always good practice to have us put a Confidentiality Agreement in place. Again, if you have questions or doubts, confer with us first.