Generally the person who completes the patent application is the owner of the patent and granted the rights it secures. However, in the case of an inventor who creates a process or item while employed by a company, there may be some discrepancy in who owns the patent rights. If you are ever unsure about filing a patent application, a California patent attorney can help explain the process and your right to file. 

Your Job Function Plays a Role in Patent Rights 

The biggest exception to your patent rights as an inventor is your specific job function within your company. If your employer hired you to invent something or solve a problem, your invention or solution is then considered property of your employer, as they paid you to produce the item in question. 

There are also instances of patent rights being assigned to the employer when the employee responsible for the patented material was entered into an express contract that assigns the employer the patent rights to their inventions. This sort of contract is normally developed and agreed upon at the beginning of the employees’ time with the company. 

If you are considered a company officer by your employer, typically an invention you create will be owned by your employer. The officer of a corporation has a fiduciary duty to assign the patent rights of all inventions created by him/her to the corporation. This is regardless of where the invention was created.

What are my patent rights if I invent my item/process at home? 

There’s still a lot of gray area regarding patent rights for inventions developed at home on your own time. A professional California patent attorney will be able to evaluate each case for its unique situation and help you determine your patent rights if you are seeking to patent an invention while employed by a company. 

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