Patenting your work patents

The move structure for the Outcomes and Impacts section of the Project Description is shown in hgure 14.1. The hrst two moves summarize the proposed work by highlighting expected achievements. Typically, no new information is provided in these moves rather, their purpose is to summarize deliverables or tangible accomplishments that will result from the work. Examples include the delivery of a more efficient synthesis, an improved analytical procedure, or a novel application of an instrument. Deliverables also include the dissemination of Endings through conference presentations, publications, and patents, allowing the larger scientific community to learn about your work. 

The disadvantage of trade secrets is that others may find out (and may even patent your work). However, many things are not patentable, but can be kept secret... 

By publishing your work you make it impossible for others to patent that work at a later date. 

Once you have decided that you need to characterize a compound, you should decide what data is required, bearing in mind where the work is to be reported. If there is the possibility of a patent application then combustion analysis is almost essential, together with a reasonable range of spectroscopic evidence to establish the structure beyond reasonable doubt. If you aim to pubhsh work in the chemical literature and/or thesis form, you should agree with your supervisor on the standard which is to be adopted. Each journal has its own specific requirements not only for the type of data required, but also for the format in which it is to be presented. These specifications are usually published in the first issue of the year. Once you have decided which specification to comply with, make sure that you collect an adequate range of data for all your compounds as you prepare them. It will also save you and/or your supervisor many hours of work if you compile data in the format you have chosen/rom the outset of your work. 

TIP The risk in not applying for a patent on new compounds or processes is that competitors may receive a patent covering the work done in your company. In that case it would be necessary to establish when your work had been done. This underscores the importance of updating, signing, and witnessing notebooks ... 

Monthly, quarterly, semiannually, or yearly, you may have to compose or contribute to a written resesirch report. A well organized one effectively indexes your work, so it makes retrieving information easy. You ll find yourself consulting your own reports long afterward when you seek data for a patent application or a scientific publication. An old report will refresh your memory and so speed your efforts to contribute to the application or publication. Composing a research report sharpens your appreciation of your own work, even if you recently completed the job. It can point out omissions that you can rectify, foster fresh interpretations of old data, and thereby suggest new directions to take. Reviewing work done several weeks or months ago prepares you to appraise your own performance, which you may do once or twice a year. 

Keep records that document when and what was invented. It is important that accurate records are kept showing your original sketches with a disclosure statement describing what and how your invention works. It is useful to have someone witness this disclosure document and verify the date that this invention took place. It is often during this step that the invention concept is either modeled (mathematical or physical or both) and tested. Thus, accurate records of these analyzes or test results should also be kept. In the U.S. it is the first to invent that will obtain a patent in the event of two individuals inventing the same thing. Keep the disclosure document secret until the patent application is submitted to the patent office. 

Molecules that are structurally similar (e.g., enantiomers) to previously known molecules (e.g., racemates) may, in a fact-dependent fashion, be patentable. Work with your patent professional early in the process to determine if such molecules are worth pursuing as program targets. 

As you study and work in biochemistry, you will often need to complete a thorough literature search on some specialized area or topic. It is not practical to survey the hundreds of books, journals, and reports that may contain information related to the topic. Two publications that provide brief summaries of published articles, reviews, and patents are Chemical Abstracts and Biological Abstracts. If you are not familiar with the use of these abstracts, ask your instructor or reference librarian for assistance. 

The first reason is that patentees should want the strongest possible system of patent procurement and enforcement possible. To have such a system, all parties involved in the patent process need to work collectively to uphold the integrity of the system. No jury or judge will view your patent favorably if the entire system itself is a sham. 

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