Faculty , Graduate Students, and Staff

Services to Faculty, Graduate Students, and Staff:

The Intellectual Property Office helps Penn State inventors understand and follow the University's patent and copyright policies and procedures, and provides counseling on intellectual property matters. Our staff members

screen inventions and discoveries made in University facilities for patentability, commercial potential, and general marketability (to begin this process, you need to fill out an invention disclosure or software disclosure form),
assess the value of patent protection and, if appropriate, file patent applications at no cost to the inventor,
market Penn State patents and copyrights to companies interested in new product development, and
prepare and negotiate confidentiality agreements, material transfer options, and licensing agreements with interested companies.

An invention is the physical embodiment of a discovery. For it to qualify for a patent, it must be novel, non-obvious, and useful. If you invent or discover something you believe is patentable, you should promptly prepare an invention disclosure. Electronic copies of the following disclosure forms and the accompanying instruction sheets are available:

Invention Disclosure Form
Software Disclosure Form

Our list of Frequently Asked Questions defines "inventorship" and explains in more detail what is patentable, who owns an invention, who pays for the patent, and how royalties are shared.

This FAQ list also references the relevant Penn State policies on patents and copyrights (Policy RA11), technology transfer (RA12), and coauthorship (RA13), and refers those interested in more information on patents, trademarks, and copyrights to such sites as the US Patent and Trademark Office, the US Copyright Office, and the IBM Intellectual Property Network. If you have additional questions, please send an e-mail to the Intellectual Property Office or contact a member of our staff.