CT HB05543

Repeals and replaces Section 4-61a of general statutes to clarify patent ownership rights for inventions created by Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station employees, effective October 1, 2010.

The station owns entire rights to inventions conceived during customary duties, from station research programs, or developed using station resources and expenses.

Employees must disclose inventions promptly, assign rights to the station, and assist with patent applications and prosecution.

Employees who conceive inventions are entitled to share in net proceeds, with a minimum of 20% paid to sole inventors and proportional shares to joint inventors, after deducting patent, maintenance, and litigation costs.

Establishes dispute resolution procedures through voluntary arbitration, compulsory arbitration if contractually required, or court proceedings for disagreements over invention allocation, employee obligations, or profit-sharing.