Submitting a disclosure of your invention to the ORPC is the first formal step in obtaining proper intellectual property protection. Inventors are strongly encouraged to submit invention disclosures early in their invention development process to avoid any potential problems.

Inventions conceived or first reduced to practice by faculty or staff in furtherance of university research should be promptly disclosed in writing to ORPC.

Priority in the United States is given to the first to invent. As a result, it is important to document the relevant dates of the invention. In the event of a dispute between inventors, documentary evidence will help establish the first to invent. Thus, invention disclosures and well-maintained laboratory notebooks should be utilized.

In most other countries, the first to file for patent protection gets priority, and the invention disclosure is usually the first step in this process.