Law - Contract or Grant Award(s)

If the invention was conceived or first actually reduced to practice during the performance of a grant or contract, the source of the funds (the name of the awarding organization or agency) is needed. The word "conceived" means "thought of the complete invention." The term "actually reduced to practice" means "built the invention and successfully tested it under the conditions of likely use."

The position of the USPTO on this issue is described in the following section(s) of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP):

MPEP 310 - Government License Rights to Contractor-Owned Inventions Made Under Federally Sponsored Research and Development
MPEP 2138.04 - "Conception"
MPEP 2138.05 - "Reduction to Practice"


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