1. PURPOSE
To recognize and reward Imagine Communications Corp. (collectively with its worldwide subsidiaries, the “Company”) employees who invent, develop or improve methods, processes, or products for the benefit of the Company and for which the employee has: (i) submitted a timely and complete Invention Disclosure that was accepted as to form and substance by the Patent Committee (“Committee”) in its sole discretion; (ii) had a patent application filed; or (iii) been awarded a patent, and in each case explicitly approved for an award under this Patent Award Policy (this “Policy”) by the Committee.
2. ELIGIBILITY
All regular full-time and part-time employees of the Company are eligible to participate in this Policy. In the event any Committee member submits an Invention Disclosure to the Committee for potential patent application filing, that Committee member will recuse himself or herself from the Committee’s decision with respect to that Invention Disclosure.
3. RESPONSIBILITY
a. The Committee is responsible for the administration of this Policy worldwide, including the authorization of award payments. Additionally, the Committee will recommend which disclosures will have a patent application filed . The Committee is also responsible for tracking awards to help ensure that multiple award payments are not made for the same patent application or patent grant. Each award payment will be charged to the department(s) that has agreed to sponsor the Invention Disclosure.
b. The Committee will designate a Patent Coordinator, who will be responsible for organizing regular Committee meetings no less than quarterly for the purpose of reviewing existing patent applications, approving annuity payments, evaluating new invention disclosures and determining the jurisdictions in which to pursue patent applications. The Patent Coordinator will also be responsible for coordinating Inventor Recognition matters.
4. AWARD CATEGORIES
a. Invention Award
An employee that makes a timely and complete submission of an Invention Disclosure that the Committee in its sole discretion deems acceptable as to form and substance shall receive an award, to the extent employed by the Company at the time of the Committee’s approval of such Invention Disclosure; notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee in its sole discretion may allow a former employee that was not terminated for cause and did not leave to a competitor, to participate in an award. Awards are not given for Invention Disclosures not approved by the Committee as to form and substance.
b. Patent Application Award
An employee named as an inventor when a patent application is filed as the priority application shall receive an award, to the extent employed by the Company at the time of the filing; notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee in its sole discretion may allow a former employee that was not terminated for cause and did not leave to a competitor, to participate in an award. Awards are not given for patents resulting from divisional, continuation, or continuation-in-part applications.
c. Patent Grant Award
An employee named as an inventor when a patent is granted shall receive an award, to the extent he or she remains an employed by the Company at such time; notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee in its sole discretion may allow a former employee that was not terminated for cause and did not leave to a competitor, to participate in an award. The award is given for the first granted patent derived from a priority application.
d. General Terms and Conditions
The award is given for original and non-provisional filings. Awards are not given for divisional, continuation, continuation-in-part applications, and requests for continued examination or provisional applications or patents resulting thereof. If an inventor was not previously named on a patent application and is first named on the continuation-in-part application he or
