Apr. 5, 2012: An MGH doctor sues for the rights to his inventions

MGH Dr. Joseph Grocela is suing his employer for the rights to inventions he created in his own home. MGH claims it owns the intellectual property for anything Grocela invents, whether it was created in a lab or at his private residence. Dr. Grocela talks about his suit with Emily.

Greater Boston received the following statement from Partners HealthCare after our taping of Dr. Grocela's interview

Points Regarding Intellectual Property Matter with Dr. Grocela

1.) This matter has nothing to do with Dr. Grocela’s performance as an MGH clinician. Dr. Grocela provides excellent care to the patients and families he serves.

2.) This is a basic disagreement regarding the way in which Dr. Grocela views the Partners intellectual property policy and how the institution views the policy.

3.) The relevant language in the Partners intellectual property policy is as follows:
Rights of the Institutions. As between the Institutions and Members, the Institutions shall own all Inventions, and patents claiming them:
Related Inventions. Inventions conceived or reduced to practice by one or more Members that are not Supported Inventions but that arise out of or relate to the clinical, research, educational or other activities of the Inventor at an Institution.

4.) Partners and MGH have granted Dr. Grocela ownership to the three inventions that he mentioned in his complaint.

5.) Dr. Grocela is seeking a blanket exception on any future inventions, and this is not something Partners and MGH are willing to grant.