§ Section 42 of the Employee Inventions Act (ArbNErfG)

The amendment of § 42 ArbNErfG was implemented with the law of 18 January 2002 (Federal Law Gazette of 24 January 2002, 414) and came into force on 7 February 2002. This law fundamentally reorganises the legal framework for inventions and patents in the university sector.

The aim of the amendment is to promote science and technology transfer at universities. This is to be achieved in particular through greater commercial exploitation of inventions by the universities themselves. Inventors are to benefit from improved statutory revenue sharing.

Section 5 (1) of the ArbNErfG also stipulates that employees who have made a service invention must "immediately report it to their employer".

The wording of the law: bundesrecht.juris.de/bundesrecht/arbnerfg/