Good inventions get lost in Slack threads and sprint reviews. We set up a simple way for engineers to flag new ideas, a review rhythm to decide what is worth protecting, and the paperwork that makes sure the company owns the result. It fits how a small team already works.
At a glance
- Practice
- IP
- Pricing
- Flat fee, quoted before we start
- Included
- 6 deliverables
- Process
- 3 steps, one named attorney
- Where we work
- Slack, email or a call
When founders call us
The moments that usually bring a company to us for this work.
- 01
Your engineering team has grown past the founders and ideas are coming from everywhere
- 02
You have missed a filing because a feature shipped before anyone flagged it
- 03
Investors asked how you decide what to patent
- 04
You want to reward employees for inventions without creating an expensive bonus scheme
What you get
Scoped in writing before we start. One flat fee for all of it.
- Invention disclosure form tailored to your products and tech stack
- Review workflow with roles, cadence and decision criteria
- Inventorship guidance for the team reviewing submissions
- Optional inventor recognition or award policy
- Check of employee invention assignment terms, including state-law carve-out notices
- Short training session or written guide for your engineers
How it works
- 1
Workflow design
We learn how your team ships and where ideas surface, then design a process around that.
- 2
Documents and tools
We deliver the form, policy and review criteria, set up in the tools you already use.
- 3
First review
We run the first disclosure review with you so the team sees how decisions get made.
Mistakes we help you avoid
The ones we see most often, and catch before they cost you.
- Avoided
Shipping or demoing an invention before anyone considers filing
- Avoided
Naming inventors by seniority instead of who actually contributed to the claims
- Avoided
Employee agreements that omit state-required notices, such as California's carve-out for inventions made on personal time
- Avoided
A process so heavy that engineers stop submitting
Invention Disclosure Programs: questions founders ask
It is a short internal document where an employee describes a new idea, how it works, who contributed and whether it has been shared outside the company. It gives the review team enough to decide whether to file, keep it as a trade secret or move on.
Not on day one. Once more than a handful of people are building product, a light process stops inventions from slipping through. It also creates a record that helps with inventorship and ownership later.
Inventorship is a legal test based on who contributed to the conception of at least one claim. It is not based on title, effort or who wrote the code. Getting it wrong can create validity problems, so it should be decided claim by claim.
Generally, inventions made in the US need a USPTO foreign filing license before an application is filed abroad. Filing in the US first is the usual route, since the filing receipt typically includes that license. The disclosure process should flag where inventors are based so this is handled correctly.
Get a flat-fee quote for Invention Disclosure Programs.
A short call with an attorney. You leave with a written scope and one fixed price.
Book a call