Читать книгу Intellectual Property Law for Engineers, Scientists, and Entrepreneurs - Howard B. Rockman - Страница 111

The meeting at which the inventor discloses the invention to the patent attorney is held in strict confidence, and the confidentiality of the invention is protected by the attorney/client privilege. This ensures that the client need not fear that the attorney will “steal” the invention. If the inventor is not satisfied with this explanation, the attorney can sign an NDA binding the attorney to secrecy regarding the invention. However, the cannons of ethics which bind an attorney to confidentiality regarding information passing between the client and the attorney are sufficient to re‐assure the inventor of the confidentiality of his/her invention disclosure. In view of the fact that an attorney may lose his or her license to practice law, and therefore the ability to earn a living, upon violating the cannons of ethics of the profession, it is extremely rare, and I have never known it to happen, that an attorney would attempt to misappropriate the invention of one of his/her clients.