US PATENT COMMISSION

Since March 16, 2013 the America Invents Act changed the rules for determining ownership of an invention idea. Before this date, when two inventors that disputed ownership of an invention, the law favored the inventor who could prove they first conceived of the idea. Now, even if an inventor has worked on an idea for years - with the evidence to prove they first conceived of the idea and reduced it to practice - if someone else files a patent application first, the prior inventor has no rights. In short, the test of ownership is simple...Who filed first. So for inventors the advice is simple. File your application as soon as possible or risk losing your idea.