The 4th session of Intellectual Property Days (IP Days) at Técnico took place this Wednesday and was focused on the topic “Common mistakes made by inventors”.

Elizabete Coutinho, patent examiner at INPI – National Institute of Industrial Property, was the speaker of this session focused on the eleven most common mistakes made by inventors who want to obtain patent protection: disclosing the invention before filing a patent application; commercialisation of an invention before the grant of a patent; creating an invention that is not new; not carefully considering technical problems; not comply with the priority deadlines; not submitting the patent application at the right time; not adequately disclose the invention in the patent application; patent the wrong inventions; not patent the invention and keep its details secret; not knowing the real value of the invention.

According to Elizabete Coutinho, any of these mistakes can be fatal: “The novelty of a patent application can be destroyed by its disclosure”.

This session was organised by the Intellectual Property Unit (NPI) at Técnico, which aim to help on the intellectual property protection developed at Técnico and, at the same time, to enhance and maximise its potential and value.