Patent Prosecution

In an article published by University Business, Marshall Gerstein Technical Specialist Emma R. Oxford, Ph.D., provides university researchers with an overview of the patent process and guidance on how to protect their innovations.

“University researchers play a central role in patents and the innovation ecosystem,” Emma writes. “RSA cryptography, CAPTCHA, mRNA vaccines, Gatorade, the computer mouse, and e-ink displays all originated in university labs, along with countless other technologies that shape modern life.”

Yet it’s common for researchers in a higher education setting to miss key opportunities to protect their work. 

“The most common issue attorneys encounter when working with university inventors is that the research they intend to patent has already been publicly disclosed,” Emma notes. “Often, the inventor has published a journal article, presented at a conference, or posted the work to a preprint site before considering whether the invention discussed in the publication might be patentable.”

Emma advises university researchers to familiarize themselves with how the patent system works to better protect their valuable discoveries and contribute to universities’ long tradition as innovation hubs.

Read her full article in University Business.