Medical Device Outsourcing: Intellectual Property Considerations

Outsourcing can save costs and provide other commercial benefits. With outsourcing efforts related to medical devices, it is important to understand some aspects of U.S. intellectual property (IP) law. This is especially true for inventive medical devices, where there is value not just in the device itself but in the ideas behind the device. When outsourcing creative work, the IP issues are of utmost importance. But even when outsourcing seemingly noncreative work, such as manufacturing, these issues should still be addressed. This article touches on three such issues: sharing, inventorship, and ownership of IP. While discussed in the context of medical device outsourcing, these issues are also important to technological outsourcing in general.