Who are Co-Inventors or Joint Inventors?
A. Two or more persons who materially contribute to the conception of an idea are co-inventors or joint inventors. Naming the correct inventors is a requirement under federal law in order for a patent to be valid. Identifying the correct legal inventors of an invention can be difficult in some circumstances. Not everyone who works on a research project is necessarily an inventor legally. It is important to understand that the identification of inventors is not a matter to be determined by consensus. Responsibility for this legal determination usually falls upon the patent attorney. Q.
