Documenting
Your Ideas
Perhaps one of the most important things you could do to
protect your idea is to document it. This is done by obtaining and
maintaining a laboratory notebook throughout the invention process.
Laboratory Notebooks
Laboratory notebooks serve as a very important form of docu-
mentation for an invention. They are used to document not only
conception but the whole invention process. The notebook is the
property of the entity that distributes it. Thus, if a company gives
each employee a notebook, it is understood that the notebook be-
longs to the company and it is to remain with the company when the
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