What are the requirements for naming joint inventors in a patent application?

This page is an FAQ based on guidance from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only: it is not legal advice.

When naming joint inventors in a patent application, it’s important to follow specific requirements:

• All inventors must be named in the application.
• Each person listed as an inventor must have contributed to the conception of at least one claim in the application.
• The order of naming inventors is not significant.

According to MPEP 602.08(b):

“The inventors entered on the application data sheet must include each inventor’s legal name.”

It’s crucial to ensure that all inventors are properly named to avoid potential issues with patent validity later on.