Employee Inventions Act (Arbeitnehmererfindungsgesetz, ArbEG)
German law that regulates rights and duties between employers and employees for inventions made on the job.
The Employee Inventions Act, known in Germany as the Arbeitnehmererfindungsgesetz (ArbEG), regulates the rights and duties between employers and employees regarding inventions made in the course of employment. Under the German law, employees must report each invention to the employer in writing without delay. The employer then has a statutory period — currently four months from a complete disclosure — to either claim the invention or release it. If the employer claims the invention, the rights pass to the employer, but the inventor remains entitled to a reasonable compensation calculated under official guidelines. Similar laws exist in other countries with different deadlines, calculation methods, and procedural rules.