FAQs Patent Questions

Question:If two or more persons work together to make an invention, to whom will the patent be granted?

Answer:
If each had a share in the ideas forming the invention as defined in the claims – even if only as to one claim, they are joint inventors and a patent will be issued to them jointly on the basis of a proper patent application. If, on the other hand, one of these persons has provided all of the ideas of the invention, and the other has only followed instructions in making it, the person who contributed the ideas is the sole inventor and the patent application and patent shall be in his/her name alone.

Question:How long does an applicant holder have to submit patent information?

Answer:
Patent information is required to be submitted with all new drug applications at the time of submission of the NDA. If appropriate, the patent information is published at the time of approval of the NDA. For patents issued after approval of the NDA, the applicant holder has 30 days in which to file the patent to have it considered as a timely filed patent. Patents may still be submitted beyond the 30 day timeframe but the patent is not considered a timely filed patent.

Question:Can the USPTO assist me in the developing and marketing of my patent?

Answer:
No. The Office cannot act or advise concerning the business transactions or arrangements that are involved in the development and marketing of an invention. The Office, however, will publish for a fee, at the request of a patent owner, a notice in the Official Gazette that the patent is available for licensing or sale. In addition, the Office of Independent Inventor Programs (OIIP) was established in March 1999 in order to meet the special needs of independent inventors.

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