NPS Legal Details the Basics of Protecting Intellectual Property
Today@NPS
NPS Legal Details the Basics of Protecting Intellectual Property
By MC3 Brian H. Abel
Lisa Norris, intellectual property and patent attorney at NPS, right, explains the patent process during a brown bag presentation in Halligan Hall, July 6. The recurring presentation provides NPS researchers and students with an overview of patent filing procedures, as well as information on how the process may be readily accessed.
"This is the basics of patents," said Norris. "We're discussing what is patentable subject matter, how we start the patent process at NPS for government-developed inventions, and what occurs during patent processing at the USPTO [U.S. Patent and Trademark Office], and finally we talk about why it's important to patent for the Navy."
Norris says there is great value in ensuring government-developed inventions are protected from others developing similar innovations. It also ensures the Navy protects its investment in people and technology, so the "Navy doesn't have to pay again for what the Navy has invented," said Norris.
But there are many benefits to the creators as well, Norris says. "If you're a student here and are part of the invention, or come up with the idea for the invention, you will be a patented inventor. And if the invention is commercialized, you will then have a share in the royalties."