OR Art. 332 -

Einleitung zur Rechtsnorm OR:

The Swiss Code of Obligations is a central code of Swiss civil law that regulates the legal relationships between private individuals. It includes five books that cover various aspects of contract law, law of obligations and property law, including the formation, content and termination of contracts, as well as liability for breach of contract and tort. The Code of Obligations is an important code of law for business and everyday life in Switzerland, as it forms the basis for many legal relationships and contracts and has been in force since 1912, whereby it is regularly adapted to social and economic developments.

Art. 332 OR from 2025

Art. 332 Right to inventions and designs ⁽¹⁾

¹ Inventions and designs produced by the employee alone or in collaboration with others in the course of his work for the employer and in performance of his contractual obligations belong to the employer, whether or not they may be protected.

² By written agreement, the employer may reserve the right to acquire inventions and designs produced by the employee in the course of his work for the employer but not in performance of his contractual obligations.

³ An employee who produces an invention or design covered by paragraph 2 must notify the employer thereof in writing; the employer must inform the employee within six months if he wishes to acquire the invention or design or release it to the employee.

⁴ Where it is not released to the employee, the employer must pay him separate, appropriate remuneration to be determined with due regard to all pertinent circumstances and in particular the economic value of the invention or design, the degree to which the employer contributed, any reliance on other staff and on the employer’s facilities, the expenses incurred by the employee and his position in the company.