A Practical Guide To The Ownership Of Employee Inventions From Entitlement To Compensation

Businesses need to understand the value in inventions, but do not always fully appreciate the relationship between their employees, the inventions they create and who owns the result. In this book, oriented to the business executive and written in straightforward language we guide the reader through the detail and procedures relating to employee inventions, explaining under what circumstances a person is a relevant employee so that their inventions become those of their employers. The law is specified in the Patents Act 1977 but there are circumstances where the factual position as to who is an employee, and whether their invention belongs to an employer is not so clear cut. The commentary takes the reader through a series of cases and a course of commentary to explain this area of law. There has also been recent judicial attention as to the level of compensation which ought to be paid to employees for inventions that benefit their employer. We explain the concept of making a contribution which is of outstanding benefit to the employer, and in what circumstances the employer's benefits deriving from the invention, the patent for it or both can then require a fair share to be paid to the employee. What was a little known part of patent law has been brought to the fore by this book and is given the prominence and explanation that it deserves. ABOUT THE AUTHORS James Tumbridge is a barrister and an Intellectual Property Litigation partner at Venner Shipley, a European Intellectual Property firm. James has been a litigator for 20 years, and has extensive experience in commercial litigation, intellectual property and alternative dispute resolution. He has a uniquely international experience having worked and appeared in courts in the USA, Canada, the UK and British Overseas territories. He is the author of 'Tumbridge's Guide to Legal Qualification: The Common Law World', and a co-author of 'Drafting Patents for Litigation and Licensing'; and co-author of 'Privilege and Professional Confidences: An International Review'. Ashley Roughton is a practicing barrister and has been in practice in technology based areas of law, principally Intellectual Property law and competition for over 25 years. He is also a teaching member of the department of Law at Queen Mary, University of London. Ashley is a co-author of the competition annex of the CIPA guide and also writes a number of chapters for both 'The Modern Law of Trade Marks' and 'The Modern Law of Patents' (of which he is chief editor). CONTENTS 1.Introduction 2.General Summary 3. The Relationship Between Employer and Employee and the Notion of a Worker 4. Employee Inventions Arising Under the Patents Act 1977 and the European Patents Convention 5. Employee Inventions Arising in Equity 6. Employee Inventions and Assignments 7. Entitlement 8. The Employee as the Proprietor and the Duty to Account 9. The Employer as the Proprietor and the Obligation to Compensate

Although employers are required to pay compensation for employee inventions under the laws in many countries, existing legal literature has never critically examined whether such compensation actually gives employee inventors an incentive to invent as the legislature intends. This book addresses the issue through reference to recent, large-scale surveys on the motivation of employee inventors (in Europe, the United States and Japan) and studies in social psychology and econometrics, arguing that the compensation is unlikely to boost the motivation, productivity and creativity of employee inventors, and thereby encourage the creation of inventions. It also discusses the ownership of inventions made by university researchers, giving due consideration to the need to ensure open science and their academic freedom. Challenging popular assumptions, this book provides a solution to a critical issue by arguing that compensation for employee inventions should not be made mandatory regardless of jurisdiction because there is no legitimate reason to require employers to pay it. This means that patent law does not need to give employee inventors an 'incentive to invent' separately from the 'incentive to innovate' which is already given to employers.

Greenland Investment and Business Guide - Strategic and Practical Information

Denmark Investment and Business Guide - Strategic and Practical Information

Denmark Investment and Business Guide Volume 1 Strategic and Practical Information

This new edition is a comprehensive and practical guide to European patent law – a 'ius commune'. The book highlights the areas of consistency and difference between the most influential European patent law jurisdictions: the European Patent Office, England and Wales, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. The book also draws insights from further afield, with contributions from other, very active, patent jurisdictions, including Italy, Sweden, Denmark, and Switzerland. Uniquely, the book addresses European patent law by subject matter area, assessing the key national and EPO approaches together rather than nation by nation. Each chapter outlines the common ground between the national approaches and provides a guide for the possible application of European patent law in national courts and the UPC in the future. In addition to featuring content on new countries, the second edition includes new chapters dedicated to the substantive aspects of FRAND, declarations, and evidence. There is also an expanded commentary on construction, including common terms used in patent claims. A must-read for anyone working in the field of European patent law.

This practical guide to patent law is written in a clear and concise style, and covers the practical aspects of litigation in defence of patents, as well as explaining some of the underlying concepts. The book has been substantially revised and updated since the last edition. Information of acquiring, keeping and losing patents, as well as infringement law and proceedings are all discussed in depth. In addition, thorny issues such as the intention of an employee, or patents spanning an international market are dealt with, providing practitioners with an efficient and comprehensive guide to patent law. - Includes excerpts from the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 for easy reference - Discusses a wide range of topics related to patents.