As used in this chapter, the following words have the following meanings:

(a) “Contract for invention development services” shall include a contract by which an invention developer undertakes to develop or promote an invention for a customer.

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Terms Used In California Business and Professions Code 22371

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Contract for invention development services: shall include a contract by which an invention developer undertakes to develop or promote an invention for a customer. See California Business and Professions Code 22371
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Customer: shall include any person, firm, corporation, or other entity that is solicited by, inquires about or seeks the services of, or enters into a contract for invention development services with an invention developer, except (1) any department or agency of the federal, state, or local government, (2) any charitable, scientific, educational, religious, or other organization qualified under Section 501(c)(3) or described in Section 170(b)(1)(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, and (3) any person, firm, corporation, or other entity regularly engaged in a trade, business, or profession which has either a net worth of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) or more or gross receipts from any source of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) or more during the calendar year in which any contract for invention development services is signed. See California Business and Professions Code 22371
  • fee: shall include any payment made by the customer to such entity including reimbursements for expenditures made or costs incurred by such entity but shall not include any payment made from a portion of the income received by a customer by virtue of invention development services performed by such entity. See California Business and Professions Code 22371
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Invention: shall mean (1) an invention, (2) an idea, (3) a concept, or (4) any combination thereof. See California Business and Professions Code 22371
  • Invention developer: shall mean any person, firm, corporation, or association, and the agents, employees, or representatives of such person, firm, corporation, or association that develops or promotes or offers to develop or promote an invention, except (1) any department or agency of the federal, state, or local government, (2) any charitable, scientific, educational, religious, or other organization qualified under Section 501(c)(3) or described in Section 170(b)(1)(a) of the Internal Revenue of Code of 1954, as amended, (3) any person, firm, corporation, association, or other entity whose gross receipts from contracts for invention development services, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 22371, do not exceed 10 percent of its gross receipts from all sources during the fiscal year preceding the year in which any contract for invention development services is signed, or (4) any person, firm, corporation, association or other entity that does not charge a fee for invention development services. See California Business and Professions Code 22371
  • Invention development services: shall include acts required or promised to be performed, or actually performed, or both, by an invention developer for a customer. See California Business and Professions Code 22371
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Business and Professions Code 21
  • Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which that term occurs, unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Business and Professions Code 15

(b) “Customer” shall include any person, firm, corporation, or other entity that is solicited by, inquires about or seeks the services of, or enters into a contract for invention development services with an invention developer, except (1) any department or agency of the federal, state, or local government, (2) any charitable, scientific, educational, religious, or other organization qualified under Section 501(c)(3) or described in Section 170(b)(1)(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, and (3) any person, firm, corporation, or other entity regularly engaged in a trade, business, or profession which has either a net worth of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) or more or gross receipts from any source of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) or more during the calendar year in which any contract for invention development services is signed.

(c) “Invention” shall mean (1) an invention, (2) an idea, (3) a concept, or (4) any combination thereof.

(d) “Invention developer” shall mean any person, firm, corporation, or association, and the agents, employees, or representatives of such person, firm, corporation, or association that develops or promotes or offers to develop or promote an invention, except (1) any department or agency of the federal, state, or local government, (2) any charitable, scientific, educational, religious, or other organization qualified under Section 501(c)(3) or described in Section 170(b)(1)(a) of the Internal Revenue of Code of 1954, as amended, (3) any person, firm, corporation, association, or other entity whose gross receipts from contracts for invention development services, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 22371, do not exceed 10 percent of its gross receipts from all sources during the fiscal year preceding the year in which any contract for invention development services is signed, or (4) any person, firm, corporation, association or other entity that does not charge a fee for invention development services. For the purposes of this paragraph, “fee” shall include any payment made by the customer to such entity including reimbursements for expenditures made or costs incurred by such entity but shall not include any payment made from a portion of the income received by a customer by virtue of invention development services performed by such entity.

(e) “Invention development services” shall include acts required or promised to be performed, or actually performed, or both, by an invention developer for a customer.

(Added by Stats. 1975, Ch. 967.)