How to Protect Your Intellectual Property: Invention Disclosures and Patents

Abstract

As a surgeon scientist, creation is often a natural part of daily work activities. The process of research including deciding what to study, generating a hypothesis, and conducting experiments presents opportunities to create new ideas and new approaches. If the idea is novel or groundbreaking, the scientist must make a decision whether to protect the idea. As a university employee, faculty are required to disclose all inventions through the local office of technology and licensing. The extent to which faculty are educated about the process and supported varies tremendously depending on the institution. As such, it is in the faculty members’ best interest to educate themselves. The purpose of this chapter is to assist the surgeon scientist in understanding the basics regarding intellectual property and patents. The first section provides an overview of the types of intellectual property. This chapter will focus on patents. Subsequent sections focus on the process of submitting a patent including the invention disclosure, novelty searches, and options once the patent issues.