By Philip P. Mann, Esq.
Philip P. Mann is a trial lawyer with more than twenty years of experience litigating patent, trademark, trade secret, and other intellectual property matters throughout the country. He is also principal of the Mann Law Group. For more information or to contact Mr. Mann, visit www.mannlawgroup.com.
Few scientists, engineers, and inventors become household names. Sure, there are a notable few – Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking. But most do not get public recognition for their years of hard work and innovation.
Yet even without wide public acknowledgement, inventors take special pride in knowing their names remain connected to what they have created. More than that, in today’s world, having your name attached to a patent can mean the difference between a lucrative and rewarding career and living a life of obscurity, toiling for others at low-paying jobs.
In an age where corporations routinely wage billion-dollar legal battles over patent infringement, inventors whose names have been left off patents have, until now, been content to meekly accept a one-time bonus for their contribution and go back to work in their laboratories.
But the first test case of an inventor fighting to have his name restored to a patent is now making its way through the courts. It’s the case of Dr. Anthony ...
