German Employee Inventors Law

… another pitfall for companies from abroad

Amid all the enthusiasm about a successful innovation, it is easy to forget that every invention also involves at least one inventor. Even if circumstances differ greatly from country to country, inventors are entitled to far-reaching rights, in particular a right to an appropriate participation in the economic success of their invention. Ignorance and neglect of the many obligations that await the employer after the invention has been transferred can have dramatic consequences for a company. While it is certainly true that German employee invention law is very detailed and the Arbitration Board and the courts up to the Federal Court of Justice have provided for extensive case law, comparable regulations can be found practically everywhere in the world.

Our White Paper on German Employee Inventor Law provides

  • insights into the systematics, particularly why salary and inventor compensation do not represent contradictions;

  • the scope of the rulings, particularly in view of most recent decisions of the German Federal Finance Court on the independency of managing directors;

  • obligations of inventors (few) and employers (many); and

  • the methodology for calculating remuneration

Interested?

If you have any questions or suggestions do not hesitate to contact us.