Two general questions:
How does the SAC engineer behind the idea benefit from the patent?
Is SAC different from other US companies in this respect?
There seem to be two systems in play in Europe:
Germany - the engineer owns the patent along with all the rights, and the company then pays royalties to the engineer. This even though the engineer is still working for the company.
Britain - the engineer gives all rights to the company being worked for. The company then pays the engineer nothing, with the caveat that the engineer is getting the prestige of having their name on the patent.
Personally, i think this is the biggest single reason that the UK struggles to stay competitive in all sectors of engineering. If there is no financial benefit, and the very real risk of being ripped off, why bother patenting?
