Patenting inventions arising from biological research 英文参考文献.docVIP

Tutorial Patenting inventions arising from biological research Matthew T Latimer Address: Moazzam Latimer, 1474 North Point Village Center #320, Reston, VA 20194-1190, USA. E-mail: matthew.latimer@ Published: 20 December 2004 Genome Biology 2004, 6:203 The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at /2004/6/1/203 ? 2004 BioMed Central Ltd Abstract Patents are the most important way in which researchers can protect the income that might come from ideas or technologies they have developed. This article describes the steps involved and the considerations needed for successful granting of a patent. For instance, inventions must be novel and not obvious, adequately described, and useful, and they should not be disclosed publicly before a patent is applied for. When a researcher or group of researchers develop a novel technique, tool, material or piece of equipment that may be useful, they may wish to patent it in order to ensure that they or their employer can benefit financially from their work. A patent is defined as property right granted by a national gov- ernment that gives the patentee the exclusive right to use, manufacture, or sell an invention for a prescribed period of time. For the purposes of this article, an inventor is defined as anyone who is responsible for the idea behind the tech- nique, tool, material or equipment; where several people are involved, they must pursue a patent jointly, even when two or more independent labs are involved. Inventors who are employed by a company typically must transfer their rights with respect to the patent to their employers. In many coun- tries, companies may apply for patents for inventions devel- oped by their employees. and mistakes are proposed. For a more thorough discussion and explanation of specific issues that might be encountered during the patenting process, readers are advised to contact