Before you publish your research
Researchers producing results with potential industrial application should talk to the Agency before disclosing their work. Public disclosure can eliminate novelty, making the invention unsuitable for protection.
What counts as public disclosure
- Articles in journals
- Presentations at conferences, symposiums and workshops
- Posts on social media
- Press releases
- Public repositories (GitHub, OSF, ResearchGate, ArXiv etc.)
- Open thesis defenses (graduate or undergraduate)
Caution. For most types of protection, a single public disclosure already compromises the novelty requirement. Some jurisdictions allow a "grace period" (12 months in Brazil for patents), but this may not apply abroad.
What to do
- Assess the potential. Does the technology have industrial application, technical differentiation or commercial impact?
- Talk to the Agency. Send an email describing the result to
nitrural@ufrrj.br. Everything is handled confidentially. - Decide the strategy. The Agency helps choose the most suitable protection (patent, software, mark, cultivar, etc.).
- Submit the form. Each protection type has its own form (see the guides under "How to protect a creation").
- Then publish. After filing, you may publish normally.
When this doesn't apply
If the result is purely theoretical, with no direct industrial application (e.g., mathematical proof, critical essay, sociological analysis), IP protection usually doesn't apply. Copyright is automatic for texts and works.