37 CFR 501.8 — Uniform Patent Policy for Rights in Inventions Made by Government Employees
Current through: 2024-07-01

Appeals by employees.

§ 501.8 Appeals by employees. (a) Any Government employee who is aggrieved by a Government agency determination pursuant to §§ 501.6(a)(1) or (a)(2), may obtain a review of any agency determination by filing, within 30 days (or such longer period as the Secretary may, for good cause shown in writing, fix in any case) after receiving notice of such determination, two copies of an appeal with the Secretary. The Secretary then shall forward one copy of the appeal to the liaison officer of the Government agency. (b) On receipt of a copy of an appeal filed pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, the agency liaison officer shall, subject to considerations of national security, or public health, safety or welfare, promptly furnish both the Secretary and the inventor with a copy of a report containing the following information about the invention involved in the appeal: (1) A copy of the agency's statement specified in § 501.7(c); (2) A description of the invention in sufficient detail to identify the invention and show its relationship to the employee's duties and work assignments; (3) The name of the employee and employment status, including a detailed statement of official duties and responsibilities at the time the invention was made; and (4) A detailed statement of the points of dispute or controversy, together with copies of any statements or written arguments filed with the agency, and of any other relevant evidence that the agency considered in making its determination of Government interest. (c) Within 25 days (or such longer period as the Secretary may, for good cause shown, fix in any case) after the transmission of a copy of the agency report to the employee, the employee may file a reply with the Secretary and file one copy with the agency liaison officer. (d) After the time for the inventor's reply to the Government agency's report has expired and if the inventor has so requested in his or her appeal, a date will be set for hearing of oral arguments before the Secretary, by the employee (or by an attorney whom he or she designates by written power of attorney filed before, or at the hearing) and a representative of the Government agency involved. Unless it shall be otherwise ordered before the hearing begins, oral arguments will be limited to thirty minutes for each side. The employee need not retain an attorney or request an oral hearing to secure full consideration of the facts and his or her arguments. The employee may expedite such consideration by notifying the Secretary when he or she does not intend to file a reply to the agency report. (e) After a hearing on the appeal, if a hearing was requested, or after expiration of the period for the inventor's reply to the agency report if no hearing is set, the Secretary shall issue a decision on the matter within 120 days, which decision shall be final after a thirty day period for requesting reconsideration expires or on the date that a decision on a petition for reconsideration is finally disposed of. Any request for reconsideration or modification of the decision must be filed within 30 days from the date of the original decision (or within such an extension thereof as may be set by the Secretary before the original period expires). The decision of the Secretary shall be made after consideration of the statements of fact in the employee's appeal, the agency's report, and the employee's reply, but the Secretary at his or her discretion and with due respect to the rights and convenience of the inventor and the Government agency, may call for further statements on specific questions of fact or may request additional evidence in the form of affidavits or depositions on specific facts in dispute. [53 FR 39735, Oct. 11, 1988, as amended at 61 FR 41000, Aug. 7, 1996]