The earnings of the employee innovator is a healthy practice that became mandatory in 1990, meant to promote creation internally.
A study carried out recently by the French Patent & Trademark Office revealed that the average financial compensation paid to the employee innovator is 2200 €.
Payment is often a flat-rate premium, in several settlements, the timing depending on the companies concerned.
Does it properly reflect the current situation in France ? Unfortunately not. Indeed, the reduced panel – only 97 companies – is mostly made up of large companies, and approximately 20% SMEs, which is regrettable.
The reasons cited to justify setting up such compensation are mainly (in descending order of importance) : to comply with the law, to avoid disputes, to encourage employees to communicate, to further develop the patent portfolio, to get the inventors involved in the use of patent.
