Manual of Patent Practice – Section 7: Right to apply for and obtain a patent – Guidance

Summary

Section 7 of the Patents Act 1977 (UK) deals with the right to apply for and obtain a patent. The section outlines the eligibility criteria for patent applicants, inventorship, and the procedures for joint inventorship, entitlement to a patent, and the presumption of entitlement in patent applications.

Key points:

Any person, individual or corporate body, can make an application for a patent, except firms, partnerships, or unincorporated bodies.
A patent may be granted to the inventor(s), or to a person(s) who has/have acquired the right to the patent through a legally enforceable agreement or operation of law.
The definition of "inventor"" includes the actual deviser of the invention and joint inventors who jointly devised the inventive concept.
The section outlines the procedures for joint inventorship