TT Tip: Record Keeping/Laboratory NotebooksWhy is a laboratory notebook so important? A well-documented record of the development of an invention is critical for preserving a company’s (or a laboratory’s) intellectual property rights to its inventions and know-how. For a LANL scientist, the lab notebook is one of the most important elements of the patent process. It is the official record of your technical work (calculations, experiments, ideas, etc.) including any inventions. It establishes the dates and times when you worked on the development of the invention and shows the progress from conception through reduction to practice. It is the primary evidence of the conception and development of an invention that may be crucial in establishing intellectual property rights. What are the guidelines for keeping a laboratory notebook?
What are the guidelines for supervision and retention of laboratory notebooks? Every technician, technical staff member, or graduate student should have his or her own laboratory notebook, maintained under the supervision of the project PI. A researcher should have a different notebook for each project. The notebook is the property of the U.S. Government. If you terminate employment with LANL, you must turn your notebooks over to your group office or send them to IRM-RMMSO, Records Management/Media Services & Operations (MS C322, 665-7039). All employees, appointees, and affiliates of Los Alamos National Laboratory are required to disclose all inventions to the Laboratory’s Technology Transfer Division (ideas.lanl.gov). *Electronic Notebooks The Laboratory Counsel does not recommend use of an electronic version of the lab notebook because it does not form an adequate legal record. The US Patent & Trademarks office has not yet accepted electronic or scanned signatures for lab notebooks. If you plan to keep an electronic notebook, follow these procedures:
For More Information If you need additional information regarding the lab notebook, please contact Legal Counsel (LC-Intellectual Property) at 7-3302, or the Technology Transfer Division at 5-9090. For more detailed information visit: Lab Notebooks. |