INVENTOR’S GUIDE

TO

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

AND

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

© 2002 UMBC
 Inventor’s Guide To Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer

Table of Contents

What Is Technology Transfer?............................................................................................ 3

I’m An Academic, Why Should I Be Interested In Technology Transfer?......................... 3
Is My Idea Patentable? ........................................................................................................ 4
What is a patent and what does it do? ............................................................................. 4
Types of US Patents ........................................................................................................ 4
Types of patent applications............................................................................................ 5
Copyrights, What Do They Cover?................................................................................. 6
Trademarks/Service marks/ Trade dress – What does that ® mean?.............................. 7
Trade secrets and know-how – shhhh!............................................................................ 7
Last but not least- mask works, plant variety protection certificates, and tangible
research property ............................................................................................................. 7
I Think I Have Developed Something With Commercial Potential, What Do I Do Now? 8
The Art Of Licensing –The Light At The End Of The Tunnel ........................................... 8
Frequently seen license terms ......................................................................................... 9
Take home message about licensing ............................................................................... 9
Start-up companies.......................................................................................................... 9
Revenue Distribution – Show Me The $$$$!...................................................................... 9
CDAs, MTAs, SRAs , etc. ................................................................................................ 12
Confidential Disclosure Agreement .............................................................................. 12
Material Transfer Agreement ........................................................................................ 12
Sponsored Research Agreement.................................................................................... 12
A Word Or Two About Conflicts Of Interest ................................................................... 12
APPENDIX A: A Guide for Keeping Laboratory Records .............................................. 13
Index.................................................................................................................................. 14

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This “Inventor’s Guide to Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer” is intended to
familiarize the UMBC community with basic facts about IP protection and the tech transfer
process. A general knowledge of IP law is useful for anyone involved in or thinking about
obtaining a patent, copyright or some other form of IP protection. The UMBC IP Policy,
including the revenue distribution process, is reviewed in this Guide. Licensing agreements,
material transfer agreements, and confidentiality agreements are also discussed.

What Is Technology Transfer?

Technology transfer is the process by which a laboratory discovery is brought to the

marketplace so it benefits the general public. The Office of Technology Development
(OTD) was created to assist faculty and staff in this complex process.

OTD assists the UMBC community in all phases of intellectual property

protection and commercialization including: evaluating disclosed
inventions for patentability and market potential; reviewing and
negotiating IP agreements; filing patent applications, copyright and
trademark registrations; establishing partnerships with industry; and
assisting entrepreneurial faculty in new company formation.

I’m An Academic, Why Should I Be Interested In Technology Transfer?

The Bayh- Dole Act, which passed in 1980, enables institutions to elect
title to inventions developed under federal funding. It is the
responsibility of the institutions who have received federal funds to
comply with the laws and regulations mandated by Bayh-Dole. This
simply means that the federal government expects the University to
engage in technology transfer activity.

OTD is establishing a very active outreach program to companies. In this way we can bring
the important discoveries made here at UMBC to the commercial marketplace for the
benefit of the public good.

While corporate research funding is still a small portion of the total research funding of the
University, it is an important resource for developing prototypes, proof of principle studies,
and projects geared to reducing inventions to practice. Often, corporate sponsors are ready-
made licensees of technologies developed under their corporate sponsored research.

You may be saying to yourself “that all sounds very interesting, but what’s in it for me?”
The answer is …$$$ and prestige. There is often an opportunity to consult for a company
that is working with the University to commercialize a licensed technology. Also, as
discussed in more detail in the following sections, the University shares a portion of the
revenue it receives from licensing with the inventors. In addition to the inventor’s share, the
inventor’s department receives a portion to support additional research.

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Is My Idea Patentable?
Intellectual property (IP) is the intangible value developed by human creativity that is
protected by the legal mechanisms of patents, trademarks, service marks, copyrights, trade
secrets, mask works, and plant variety protection certificates. In general, these mechanisms
add value to the creator’s idea by precluding others from using the idea. You may be
familiar with the terms patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, etc., but you may not be
certain what is/is not protected by these and how to go about obtaining the appropriate
protection.

What is a patent and what does it do?

A patent is a property right granted by the federal government in exchange for the
public disclosure of the technology. It provides the owner with an exclusive right to
exclude all others from making, using, selling, offering for sale or importing the
invention for a specified term.

In the US, a utility patent may be obtained by whoever invents or

discovers any new, useful and non-obvious process, machine,
manufactured article or composition of matter or any new, useful and
non-obvious improvement thereof. Inventions that are not
patentable include laws of nature, theories, printed materials, plans of
action, ideas and results.

If you have published or presented your invention or are planning to publish or

present, please consider the following. The US allows a one year grace period
between the time an invention was first described in a publication, was in public use,
or was on sale and the filing date of a US patent application. The majority of foreign
countries however, require absolute novelty.

So, if you have published your invention less than a year ago, we can still obtain US
patent protection, but foreign rights, which are often quite important to a potential
licensee, are lost. It is important to disclose inventions to OTD prior to any
publication and to discuss any potential public disclosure of inventions at the time of
submission. A quick provisional patent application can be filed so that patent rights
may be preserved, without causing any delay in publication.

Types of US Patents
The US Patent Office grants three types of patents: utility, design and plant. By far
the largest group is the utility patents. The utility patent covers a process, machine,
manufactured article, or composition of matter and includes, among other things, an
enabling description of the invention, drawings, and claims that define the scope of
the invention. The term is 20 years from the effective filing date (previously 17 years
from the issue date).

Unlike utility patents, which cover function, a design patent is granted for any new,
original and ornamental design for an article of manufacture. Design patents protect
against infringing appearance and contain, among other things, a drawing or photo
of the design, a brief statement regarding the nature and intended use of the article in

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which the design is enabled and a single claim. The design patent term is 14 years
from issue.

The third type of patent granted by the USPTO is the plant patent. A plant patent is
granted on asexually reproduced (i.e., propagated by means other than from seeds),
distinct and new varieties of plants, including cultivated sports, mutants, hybrids, and
newly found seedlings, other than tuber propagated plants (such as a potato) or a
plant found in an uncultivated state. A plant patent includes, among other things, a
description of the plant and its characteristics that distinguish it from known varieties
and its antecedents, expressed in botanical terms, drawings and a single claim. A
sample of the plant is not required. The plant patent has the same term as a utility
patent, 20 years from filing.

Types of patent applications

In order to receive a patent, one must first file a patent application. In the US, there
are numerous types of applications. For the purpose of this guide, we will focus on
utility patent practice, since the majority of patents filed for by UMBC are of this
type.

Provisional patent applications, introduced in 1995, are now playing a key role in the
technology transfer process at UMBC and many other universities across the
country. It is a quick and inexpensive mechanism to establish a priority date. This
can be a key factor if the invention has been published or is pending publication.
Provisional applications must include a completely enabling description of how to
make and use the invention, and one or more drawings (often filed are manuscripts
and journal articles). No claims are required and the application is not examined. If
the applicant wishes to retain the priority date afforded by the provisional
application, a non-provisional application must be filed within 1 year of the
provisional filing.

Non- provisional applications or “regular” utility applications must contain an enabling

description and drawings as in a provisional application but a non-provisional
application must contain at least one claim and these applications are, of course,
examined by a patent examiner at the USPTO. UMBC will generally retain outside
patent counsel with expertise in the specific technical area to work with the inventors
in drafting non-provisional applications. Because of the significant cost of drafting
and filing non-provisional applications, only those inventions that have a strong IP
position and commercial potential will make it to this stage.

There are numerous types of non-provisional applications that may claim priority
from (result from) a co-pending parent non-provisional application including
divisionals, continuations-in-part and continuations. The differences between these
applications will not be discussed here, but feel free to contact OTD if you really
want to know.

The PCT, or international application, is the means by which an applicant can start the
foreign filing process. The PCT is an alternative to immediately filing national
applications in those countries which are member nations of the Patent Cooperation
Treaty. Typically, a US patent application is filed and then a PCT application is filed

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within one year of the US date. Utilizing the PCT route allows for the delay of
foreign filing decisions for a period of up to 30 months from the priority filing date.

Copyrights, What Do They Cover?

Now that we have thoroughly confused you with all of the various types of patents
and patent applications, let us move on to the world of copyrights. An original work
is copyrighted once it is written or fixed in a tangible medium of expression. So,
unlike patents, one does not need to take action in order for a work to be
copyrighted.

The simple step of putting © 2002 UMBC on a work is often enough to deter
infringement. However, copyright registration is needed in order to file an
infringement suit. Registration is a relatively simple process; please contact OTD for
information regarding filing the appropriate forms.

Some examples of works that can be protected by copyright

are: literary works, books, tests, computer programs,
databases, music, lyrics, dramatic works, choreography,
pictures, sculptures, maps, drawings, works of art, movies,
sound recordings, and architectural works. Items that may
not be protected by copyright include: names, titles, slogans
short phrases, ideas, extemporaneous speeches, principles,
concepts, facts, plots, procedures, processes, systems, methods of operation and
local, state and federal laws.

The owner of a copyright has the right to exclude others from photocopying,
preparing derivative works of, distributing copies of, and performing or publicly
displaying the work. Rights to a copyright are granted for a period lasting the life of
the author plus 70 years. If a work is anonymous, the term is 95 years from
publication or 120 years from creation. After the term, the work falls into the public
domain.

Unless it is a “work made for hire”, the owner of a copyright is the person who
created the work. In a “work made for hire” situation the employer, or the
commissioning party for whom the work was prepared, is considered the
author/owner.

UMBC policy states that faculty have all rights in copyrights of traditional scholarly
works such as textbooks, journal articles, monographs, and
other literary and artistic works with the exception of those
works produced under a sponsored research agreement or
other written agreement. All works created by non-faculty
employees in the course of their employment are considered
“works made for hire” and are owned by UMBC. Computer
programs and software created by faculty within the scope of their employment, with
the use of university resources, or under Sponsored Research Agreements or other
written agreements are owned by the University.

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Trademarks/Service marks/ Trade dress – What does that ® mean?
Trademarks and service marks are distinctive letters,
numbers, words, phrases, slogans, sounds, or graphic
symbols and combinations thereof that identify a product,
service and/or the source of, quality of, the producer of or
the distributor of specific goods and services. The purpose
of these marks is to avoid confusion in the marketplace. As
long as it is being used in interstate commerce, a mark is
protectable.

Federal registration is not necessary for trade/service mark protection. A

trade/service mark is identified by affixing the TM or SM symbol. Registration does
provide advantages in cases of infringement and when filing an application in a
foreign country. Following registration, the TM or SM symbol can be replaced by the
® symbol.

Trade dress is a broad IP category related to commercial image and appearance. It

may include features such as size, shape, color, layout, format, overall look,
packaging, texture, graphics, or even sales techniques, anything that conveys a visual
impression to consumers. Proprietary trade dress may be registered as a trademark.
Trade dress which can not be registered may be protected under unfair competition
laws.

Trade secrets and know-how – shhhh!

A trade secret (often referred to in university cases as know-how)
can be any information not commonly known which is used in
connection with a business to obtain a competitive advantage. The
information must be kept confidential (secret), it must be
identifiable and must not be readily ascertainable to be protected.
It is estimated that more technologies worldwide are protected as
trade secrets than patents. The formula for Coca-Cola has been
protected as a trade secret for many years.

As a general rule, the University will not agree to accept trade secreted information
from a company because of the legal burden of keeping the information secret.

Last but not least- mask works, plant variety protection certificates, and
tangible research property
Mask works refer to the series of related images representing the predetermined,
three-dimensional patterns of metallic, insulating, or semiconducting layers of a
semiconductor chip. Registered mask works are protected for a period of
approximately 10 years after registration or the date the mask work was first
commercially exploited. A mask work is often denoted by the symbol M or *M* .

Plant variety protection certificates (which are different from plant patents) cover
any sexually reproduced or tuber propagated plant variety. The certificates have a
term of 20 years, 25 for trees and vines. A viable sample must be deposited and
replenished in a public repository.

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 Tangible research property includes the physical embodiments of intellectual effort
such as models, machines, devices, designs, apparatus, instrumentation, circuits,
computer programs and visualizations, biological materials, chemicals, other
compositions of matter, plants, and records of research.

I Think I Have Developed Something With Commercial Potential, What Do I Do

Now?

Well, we are very glad you asked! The first step is to come and talk to the
nice folks at OTD. After our initial discussion, we may ask you to provide
additional information in order for us to properly evaluate your invention.
Don’t panic, the Invention Disclosure Form is only 2 pages and is available
on line at www.umbc.edu/otd. The information requested includes: an
enabling disclosure (you may attach a manuscript), list of inventors and their contact
information, any publication dates, research sponsor and grant numbers, and minimal
market information.

OTD reviews each invention disclosure and provides feedback to the inventor within 3-4
weeks of submission, sooner if there is a pending publication. The review process may
include additional discussions with the inventors, a demo of the technology, patent and
literature searches, market analysis, etc. The evaluation criteria include strength of the IP
position, length of time to development of the technology into a product, market size, and
competition. Unfortunately, the constraints of a limited patent budget also must be factored
in when making the decision to pursue or waive title to an invention.

Should OTD choose to pursue your invention, the process may go something like this.
OTD will, in the vast majority of cases, file a provisional patent application which is
prepared in-house. The current PTO fee for filing a provisional application is $80. Within
10 months of filing a provisional patent application, the decision will be made to pursue a
non-provisional application or to waive title of the invention either to the sponsor or to the
inventors, whichever is required (special circumstances such as copyrightable software may
not follow this pattern).

The majority of non-provisional applications are drafted by outside patent counsel. As you
can imagine, this is an expensive endeavor. The current cost of obtaining a US patent is
between $10-25K. Filing applications in foreign countries is even more costly and typically
only pursued when a technology is licensed.

The Art Of Licensing –The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

One of the confusing steps in the technology transfer process

from the inventor’s perspective is licensing. This is probably
because license negotiation is an art, not an exact science. No
two deals will ever be exactly alike. Despite what you have

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read, technologies are not all licensed for a $10K fee and 5% royalty rate. Some may be
worth more, some may be worth less.

Frequently seen license terms

Typical financial terms that you may see in a university technology license include;
reimbursed patent expenses, upfront fees, equity, royalties on net sales, annual fees,
milestone payments and termination fees. OTD will stay in contact with the
inventor during the license negotiation process and provide feedback as often is
necessary. The process can take anywhere from 1 month to 1 year, so patience is
needed during this time.

Take home message about licensing

The most important thing to remember about technology licensing in a university
environment is that the majority of licenses result from the inventor’s interaction
with industry. All of the other methods of marketing such as mailings, web pages,
personal OTD contacts, and the like result in far fewer successful hits than the
inventors own efforts in making industry contacts and more recently, forming
university start-up companies.

Start-up companies
UMBC encourages its faculty to have an entrepreneurial spirit. Should an inventor
wish to start a company, OTD can assist in that endeavor by working with the
faculty member. OTD and the UMBC Incubator have developed the BASE
Program (Business Advisory Services for Entrepreneurs) which will assist faculty in
developing business plans, applying for grants and attaining other forms of financing

Revenue Distribution – Show Me The $$$$!

This is the part of the process that is the most fun for OTD, when one of
the inventors we have worked closely with is financially rewarded for all of
their additional time and effort. UMBC IP policy provides that a share of
revenue from licensing patents, copyrights and related trademarks, service
marks, trade dress as well as tangible research property, mask works, and
plant varieties be distributed to inventors and also to the inventors
department. The remainder is retained by the university to cover general and project specific
costs and a portion is devoted to research.

Unless otherwise agreed to in writing, the inventor’s share is distributed equally among all
inventors. Equity received as consideration for a license is distributed in a different manner
than outlined below, it is shared equally between the University and the inventors.

The distribution of revenue is covered in Section XI of the UMBC IP Policy effective July 1,
2002 which can be found at www.umbc.edu/otd. You may choose to read the noted
section or follow the distribution chart below. Hint: the chart is much easier to understand
than the written policy.

Note that the policy referenced and the diagrams provided here cover those inventions
disclosed after July 1, 2002. Those inventions disclosed prior to that date come under the

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old Copyright and Patent Policies, which provided for a different revenue distribution. The
old policies can also be found at www.umbc.edu/otd.

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 UMBC’s Royalty Distribution Example

Gross Licensing
Revenue

$50,000

Creator’s Share* Project Costs General Costs

10% to 70% of Gross Up to 70% of Gross 30% of Gross Licensing

Licensing Revenue up to a Licensing Revenue until Revenue.
max. of $10,000. costs are recovered.

$10,000 $8,000 $15,000

Net Licensing * Net Licensing Revenue is not

Revenue* distributed until the Creator’s
**The Creator receives a total All Remaining Gross Share of Gross Licensing
of $18,500 in royalties in this Licensing Rev. after Inv.’s
Revenue reaches the $10K
share is maxed.
example ($10,000 + $8,500). threshold.
$17,000

Creator’s Share* University Share

50% of Net Licensing 50% of Net Licensing

Revenue. Revenue.

$8,500 $8,500

* If the Department Allocation has Department Remaining Univ.

reached the $100K/yr threshold, the Allocation* Share
Department receives 15% of the 85% of Univ. Share until Remaining portion of
$100K/yr and 15% University Share after Dept.
University Share for the remainder thereafter. Allocation.
of that year.
$7,225 $1,275

Creator’s * If the Creator’s Research

Department Share Research Share* Share has reached the $50K/yr
Remaining portion of Dept. 50% of Dept. Allocation threshold, the Creator’s
Alloc. after Creator’s until $50K/yr & 20%
Research Share. thereafter.
Research Share is 20% of the
Department Allocation for the
$3,612.50 $3,612.50 remainder of that year.

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CDAs, MTAs, SRAs , etc.
All IP related agreements such as confidential disclosure agreements (CDAs), material
transfer agreements (MTAs) and the like must be signed by the Director of OTD as the
authorized campus official.

Confidential Disclosure Agreement

A confidential disclosure agreement should be obtained before discussing a
technology with anyone outside the University, such as a company or colleague at
another institution. OTD also has a form for thesis/dissertation defense situations.
Companies may ask researchers to sign CDAs prior to discussing any possible
research collaborations. Please do not sign a CDA, it should be reviewed by OTD
and signed by the Director of OTD.

Material Transfer Agreement

A material transfer agreement is used when a researcher sends out or receives
material, such as biological materials or compounds. It enables researchers to share
materials while safeguarding proprietary rights to the materials. Materials can be cell
lines, viruses, bacteria, monoclonal antibodies, compounds, etc.

Sponsored Research Agreement

OTD assists the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA) in reviewing
intellectual property language in sponsored research agreements (SRAs). There are a
number of potential problem areas in SRAs that should be avoided because they can
be roadblocks to future licensing and funding efforts including: IP ownership issues
of any kind, non-exclusive royalty free licenses to corporate sponsors, granting rights
to background technologies, and granting rights to future technologies.

Additionally, OTD will negotiate SRAs linked to licensed technologies. Licensees

often wish to sponsor additional or follow-on research projects to expedite the
product development process.

A Word Or Two About Conflicts Of Interest

As UMBC and its faculty establish more partnerships and collaborations with for profit
business entities and other organizations, the potential for financial conflicts of interest and
conflicts of commitment that involve both the individual faculty and the university are
created. Some potential conflicts are obvious, such as the case of a faculty member’s lab
receiving research funding from a company in which the individual owns equity or receives
significant consulting fees or gifts. Other potential conflicts are not so obvious, such as
when the university is negotiating a license or sponsored research agreement with a company
who has promised to provide philanthropic dollars to the university.

In all situations where a University employee has a potential conflict of interest or

commitment, that employee must inform his or her Supervisor or Department Chair in
accordance with the Conflict of Interest Guidelines. A copy of the COI Guidelines can be
found on the OTD website at www.umbc.edu/otd.

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APPENDIX A: A Guide for Keeping Laboratory Records

In the US, laboratory records are crucial in deciding disputes over who
was first to invent. While scientists in industry are accustomed to a daily
routine of logging in detailed laboratory activities, ideas, and data into
notebooks, some academic researchers are not. The following are rules
which every researcher is advised to observe. In fact, state auditors look
to ensure such rules are followed.

• Make daily entries, in ink, into a bound notebook. Title, date, and sign each
entry. Record conceptions, laboratory data, and drawings.

• Do not erase. Draw a line through errors in text or drawings. Enter the
material in corrected form. Initial and date all major changes.

• Draw a line through blank spaces on the page. Start a new page for each new
experiment.

• Refer to photographs, charts, etc. that may be on separate pieces of paper.

• When an experiment or run is completed and it represents reduction to

practice of only one or a limited number of species, include a statement
explaining still other species and parameters of variables stating the reason
they are expected to be effective or ineffective.

• Record observations of results even if they are not fully understood or

appreciated at that time.

• Have all entries signed and dated by a witness. The witness must be
someone who has read the material and is capable of understanding it. He or
she may not be a co- worker or collaborator. Obtain additional witnesses
when something important or highly unusual is observed.

• Prior to discarding samples or records of any kind, be sure they are of no

value to any other member of the project.

• To fully protect and preserve property rights to an invention or innovation,

provide proposed publications (including abstracts) to OTD. OTD may
advise the researcher that a patent application should be filed prior to the
anticipated publication date. OTD will not require that the proposed
publication be delayed pending the filing of a patent application. We will
work with inventors to preserve patent rights if at all possible. The filing of a
patent is meant to help inventors, not to obstruct the dissemination of
important scientific findings.

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Index

BASE Program.................................................................................................................... 9
Bayh- Dole Act..................................................................................................................... 3
confidential disclosure agreement ....................................................................................... 12
conflicts of commitment .................................................................................................... 12
conflicts of interest ............................................................................................................. 12
copyright...................................................................................................................... 3, 4, 6
design patent.................................................................................................................... 4, 5
international application............................................................................................................. 5
know-how............................................................................................................................ 7
licensing .................................................................................................................... 3, 9, 12
mask work............................................................................................................................ 7
material transfer agreement................................................................................................. 12
non-provisional application .............................................................................................. 5, 8
patent ......................................................................................................... 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 13
PCT...................................................................................................................................... 5
plant patent .......................................................................................................................... 5
plant variety protection certificates ................................................................................... 4, 7
provisional application...................................................................................................... 5, 8
service mark ......................................................................................................................... 7
software ........................................................................................................................... 7, 8
sponsored research agreements .......................................................................................... 12
tangible research property ............................................................................................... 7, 9
Trade dress .......................................................................................................................... 7
trade secret ....................................................................................................................... 4, 7
trademark ..................................................................................................................... 3, 4, 7
utility patent..................................................................................................................... 4, 5
work made for hire .............................................................................................................. 6

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