Definition
Inventorship is the legal determination of who contributed to the conception of a claimed invention and is therefore entitled to be named.
Why It Matters Legally
Getting inventorship right is critical because naming the wrong people, or omitting the right ones, can invalidate a patent. It also affects who owns and can license the patent.
Example Use Case
A dispute arises over whether a consultant contributed enough to be a named inventor, affecting both the patent’s validity and its ownership.
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Related Terms
Inventor, Joint Inventors, Assignee, Ownership, Derivation Proceeding