Welcome to the Berkeley Lab Patent Group Web Page

The Patent Group of the LBNL Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Management department provides legal services to the management and staff of LBNL, primarily in the area of intellectual property (patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets). The patent group is responsible for receiving invention disclosures and reporting these inventions, and any resulting patents, to the Department of Energy.  We also review proposed publications for possible inventions, and provide legal review of WFO, CRADA and procurement contracts.

Our primary mission is to obtain patents for Berkeley Lab inventions.  Since patent applications are expensive, we work closely with the Licensing Group of the LBNL Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property department in evaluating invention disclosures for patent filing.  In most instances, the patent filing decision is driven by commercial considerations articulated by both groups of the Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Management department.  The Licensing Group of the Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Management department also handles secrecy agreements, material transfer agreements, and book publishing contracts.

As part of the LBNL Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Management department, 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.

Note that we have added a new section on "Conflict of Interest."  This is at the page entitled "Information for Inventors."