EMPLOYEE'S INVENTIONS

Almost all inventions held by companies are made by their employees. Under US and UK law there is generally no problem in transferring the rights to the invention from the employee to the employing company--this is often a standard part of the contract of employment.

In other countries, the situation can be more complicated. German law provides for a special claim to the invention which must be made by the employer within four months of receipt of the notice of the invention. Furthermore, the employer is obliged to pay special compensation to the inventor for use of the invention. The compensation is in addition to the inventor's normal salary.

Rob has experience in ensuring that companies claim the rights to the inventions and in calculating a fair and reasonable compensation is paid to the inventors.

For further information on the law concerning employees' inventions in Germany, see the list of Frequently Asked Questions