Employee Inventions

In Germany, employees making an invention must immediately report the invention to their employer. Once reported, the invention can be claimed by the employer. By claiming the invention all rights associated with the invention including the right to economic exploitation are transferred to the employer. The employer is obligated to file a patent or utility model application in Germany. In return, the inventor is entitled to a reasonable compensation. The computation of the reasonable compensation due to economic exploitation of the invention by the employer is regulated in official guidelines. In case the employer releases the invention, the employee is free to make use of the invention at his disposal, for instance to apply for an intellectual property right or to exploit it economically.