VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Lab notebooks can prove an invention’s conception
In some countries, Europe, for example, an invention belongs to the first person to file a patent for it. In the United States, the conception determines ownership of an invention. In other words, an invention is “born” when the inventor first conceives it. What does this mean for scientists, inventors and businesses? That it’s incumbent upon them to prove that they came up with the idea first and therefore own the patented invention. If they can’t prove the date of…