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Inventor identification gets lost in the haze of a patent application for a cannabis delivery system. Michael Pappalardo met Samantha Stevins at a pharmaceutical products trade show. Michael told Samantha about his concept for a new product related to liquid and solid cannabis delivery systems. They agreed to work on it together. Samantha, who is an attorney, suggested that they apply for a patent. When Michael found out that Samantha had named herself as the sole inventor on the patent, he brought suit to add his name as an inventor. The Federal Circuit affirmed the district court’s dismissal of Michael’s case. The court held that there is no cause of action to challenge inventorship until a patent issues. So Michael will have to wait until then to file suit.
WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS. If everything Michael says is true and he is the inventor or at least one of the inventors, then Samantha may have problems beyond cutting Michael out of the deal. Inventors have a duty of candor when filing a patent application. The duty of candor includes disclosing all inventors and anyone else who was substantively involved in developing the invention. The failure to make a full disclosure can compromise the ability to enforce the patent. So Samantha may be putting the viability of the future patent at risk.