My friend and I invented this together… who owns what?
If you’ve ever built something with a friend, whether it’s an app, a product, a process, a “why doesn’t this exist yet?” solution—you already know the vibe. It starts with energy, late-night texts, and a shared “we’re onto something,” but then, as you get into the logistics of things, you begin to search, "My friend and I invented this together...who owns what?" Then the uncomfortable question shows up: “Are we both co-owners? How does this work?" That’s not a rude question. It’s the grown-up question. And asking it early is how you keep a good partnership from turning into a lawsuit with receipts, or a falling out later down the line. How ownership really works when two people create something together: Inventor vs. owner: they’re not the same thing This is the part that surprises people. Allow our firm to break it down for you in a way that's simplified. An inventor is the person who contributed the inventive idea—the “new” part that makes it patentable. An owner is the person or company that holds the rights to the invention (usually through an assignment agreement). In the U.S., patents must list the true inventors. You can’t “thank” your friend by listing them as an inventor if they didn’t actually contribute to the invention. And you can’t cut someone out just because you’re mad, or you paid for materials, or you came up with the name. But even if you’re correctly listed as an inventor, ownership can still be transferred—often to a company, investor, or another person—if you sign an assignment (contract). That’s why paperwork matters. What counts as a “joint inventor”:Not everyone who helped is automatically a joint inventor. Examples of contributions that often do [...]
