File a Disclosure Form

The first thing you'll need to do to get started on your intellectual property protection is to submit an invention disclosure form. The invention disclosure form is composed of a series of questions, which give you the opportunity to describe your invention, explain its impact and highlight its commercial potential. You also will be asked to identify all inventors (and their royalty shares), grants and publications relating to your invention.

To get started, you'll need to select the disclosure form that's right for you: the invention disclosure form (for most inventions), the software disclosure form (for computer software) or the reagent disclosure form (for novel antibodies or reagents). Each version is available as an editable Microsoft Word document via the links in this paragraph, and to the left under Disclosure Forms. Please submit the appropriate form electronically, in Microsoft Word format, whenever possible to expedite the disclosure process.

The information you provide as part of the invention disclosure form will be put to good use. A Patent Foundation licensing professional will use this information to assess the patentability and market potential of your invention. In addition, the information you provide could be used to file a provisional patent application on your research and introduce your invention to companies that may be interested in further developing the technology.

Tip: Disclose your research idea to the U.Va. Patent Foundation before you make any public disclosures. If you give a talk or publish a paper describing the invention before intellectual property protection is secured, you could immediately lose foreign rights to your invention, and it may start the clock on when a U.S. application must be filed on your technology.

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