Risk Prevention Strategies: Ownership of Employee-Developed Inventions and Intellectual Property
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul continues to sign legislation emanating from a busy legislative session, including legislation rendering contractual assignment-of-inventions provisions unenforceable, prohibiting...more
In July 2022, the Seventh Circuit issued an opinion making it clear that employers must put in place written invention assignment agreements if they want to ensure ownership of employee inventions...more
Companies often hire employees to develop new products, improve processes, create new technologies, and develop new markets. But how should employers address the ownership of intellectual property created by their employees...more
In part 1, I reviewed patents and copyrights. In this post, I will discuss trade secrets, IP rights, and other protection measures. Trade Secrets - No federal or state statute expressly addresses initial ownership of...more
At the recent ACC-Socal Double Header Event, Knobbe Martens presented, "CardiAQ - An IP Success Story." ...more
Intellectual property assets are the lifeblood of many businesses today. No employer wants to see those assets walk out the door when an employee leaves. Employee invention assignment agreements are one crucial tool for...more
You may have spent time drafting (or having your lawyers draft) enforceable restrictive covenants to protect your company's confidential and proprietary information, goodwill, and customer relationships, but have you ensured...more
In This Issue: S.C. Supreme Court Upholds Confidentiality and “Holdover” Inventions Assignment Clauses in Employment Agreement; The America Invents Act: The Big Lesson Learned In The First Year; and The U.S.Patent And...more
Originally published in MidlandsBiz.com on December 18, 2012. In its most significant employment law decision of 2012, Milliken & Co. v. Morin, the South Carolina Supreme Court addressed the enforceability of provisions...more