Employee Inventions

An invention made by an employee of a company. 

In the UK, where an inventor is an employee of a company, there is a particular set of rules that are used to determine whether an employee invention is owned by the employee or the company.  In essence, the company will own the invention if it was made during the course of the employee's duties and those duties were such that an invention might reasonably be expected to result from those duties or where the employee owes a special obligation to further the interests of their employer.  Otherwise, the invention will belong to the employee. 

It should also be noted that where the invention is considered to belong to the company, the employee may nonetheless be entitled to compensation if the invention is of "outstanding benefit" to their employer.