A patent can be owned by:
- The inventors;
- A person who has legally obtained rights to the invention from the inventors or an intermediary; or
- An employer of someone who made the invention in the course of their normal duties.
If your invention was created by the employees of your company during the course of their job, then the patent may be registered in the company's name. If your business has been created under a partnership structure then one, or more, of the partners must become the registered owner or the partners in the firm or partnership can obtain a patent jointly in their own name.
In your application you must include a patent specification, which includes a written description which accurately and broadly describes the characteristics of the invention and state the scope of the patent rights sought.
Prior to filing a complete application you can also file a provisional application. While a provisional application will not result in an enforceable granted patent it can be useful in establishing an early priority date.
