Disclosure Document Program

Disclosure Document Program 

The US Patent and Trademark Office provides an excellent and economical way for an inventor to establish a date of conception of his invention. In essence, the Patent and Trademark Office’s Disclosure Document Program is a sophisticated variation of the old “mail yourself a letter” ploy discussed above under “Pitfalls.” The filing of a Disclosure Document may be important since, as noted above, a conflict between different inventors claiming the same invention is resolved in favor of the person who can show that he was the first to complete the invention, and a vital step in proving completion of an invention is to prove “conception” of the invention. 4.03 Disclosure Document Program There are two things that an individual with an idea must know in order to utilize the Disclosure Document Program. They are: (1) the simple mechanics of how to use it, and (2) its limitations. Do not use this program unless you clearly understand its limitations. Do not assume it grants any legal rights by itself.