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Invention Disclosure Forms

Public disclosures (such as publication of a paper, oral or poster presentation at a conference, invited talk, student thesis defense, discussions with non-UTRGV affiliated parties without a non-disclosure agreement in place, etc.) have a negative impact on one’s ability to secure intellectual property (IP) rights.  In some cases, IP rights may be irretrievably lost due to a prior public disclosure.

How can a researcher prevent this loss?  

An Invention Disclosure Form (IDF) should be submitted to our office before any public disclosures of the technology are made.  An example of good timing would be submitting your IDF simultaneously with submitting a manuscript for review, rather than submitting the IDF after the paper is published online. 

If you are planning to publish or present your technology, make sure to inform OTC well in advance of any upcoming deadlines (three months). 

Submitting an IDF

Complete the appropriate form to describe the technology you are disclosing with as much detail as possible,including attaching supporting documents, draft manuscripts, research reports, presentations, etc.

You must complete each section of the document.  If certain questions or statements do not apply, please state “N/A” or “None.”  *Please note*:  our office cannot review incomplete/unsigned IDFs, or materials submitted without this form (e.g., just a copy of a manuscript).  We will return such IDFs to you for completion and resubmission.