For example, a new cell line may be most effectively protected by simply not distributing it to anyone except a licensee, while the products of that cell line may be freely made available to other researchers. In this case, patent protection would be in practice less effective because its cost would necessarily limit the territory in which protection could be obtained. It is important that each inventor keep detailed dated records, preferably in bound notebooks, of the progress of the research and the development of the invention. These records are evidence which may be needed later on to prove inventorship. If you invent something which may have commercial potential, the first question you will want to answer is whether the invention is patentable.
Patent protection is an absolute requirement for most inventions to be commercialized successfully.
However, please keep in mind that many unpatentable inventions may nevertheless have great commercial potential. It is a good idea to informally contact OTT to discuss a potential invention even in the very early stages of research which appears promising, even if the invention is clearly not yet completely defined. For an invention to be patentable it must be novel, non-obvious and useful. If you decide to proceed, the next step is to file an Invention disclosure according to established Invention Disclosure Guidelines . Submission of an Invention disclosure to OTT establishes a claim to inventorship and should be made as early on as possible.