Welcome to the Berkeley Lab Patent Group Web Page

The Patent Group is part of LBNL Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Management (TTIPM). We provide legal services to the management and staff of LBNL, primarily in the area of intellectual property (patents, copyrights, and trademarks). The Patent Group receives invention disclosures and reports these inventions, and any resulting patents, to the Department of Energy. We also review proposed publications for possible inventions, provide legal review of WFO, CRADA and procurement contracts, and review proposed consulting and outside employment agreements for LBNL employees for University/DOE contract compliance.

Our primary mission is to obtain patents for Berkeley Lab inventions. As patent applications are expensive, we work closely with the Licensing Group in TTIPM to evaluate invention disclosures for patent filing. In most instances, the patent filing decision is driven by commercial considerations that is, whether the likelihood that the invention would be developed and used be sufficiently enhanced securing a patent. The Licensing Group also handles secrecy agreements, material transfer agreements, and book publishing contracts.

As part of TTIPM but also associated with the Office of Laboratory Counsel, our attorneys are called upon to act in a wide variety of matters. To help answer some of your questions, we have provided summary information in the links listed along the side of this page.

To download a record of invention form, go to the "Forms" page.  Additional information can be found on the "Patents" page and on the page entitled "Information for Inventors."