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Patent Assignment Database: Everything You Need to Know

The Patent Assignment Database has all recorded patent information from August 1980 until now, added by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). 8 min read updated on February 01, 2023

What Is the Patent Assignment Database?

The Patent Assignment Database has all recorded patent information from August 1980 until now. Any time someone adds information to one of the patent records, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) adds it to the database. However, it doesn't check to make sure that the new information is correct.

How Do Patent Assignments Work?

Assignments offer flexibility. Different people can acquire different rights to a patent. One person could have the patent assignment, but a prior owner could keep a license to use the technology for free.

An interested party could only look at these documents at the USPTO. They're not available online. The best practice is for the owner of a patent to show all current and previous assignments. This is a chain of title that starts with the inventor. The most recent entry should be the current owner.

Each license agreement should also have a record. If the current owner lacks this information, they should contact previous owners. Most assignments come from the patent attorneys of startups.

One ongoing issue is that many assignments are years or even decades old. Patent law could have changed in the interim. The owner should try to keep an assignment as current as possible.

The most likely omission to an assignment is the right to causes of action. It's important because this right gives someone the ability to sue for past damages. Inventors don't have to worry about the right to causes of action since prior infringement is impossible. Once patents change hands, it's a key concern.

Interested parties should also check assignments to see if any security interests exist. In rare instances, inventors do put patents up for collateral, generally in bank transactions. The assignments database will show this information.

What Happens If No Assignments Exist?

First time inventors and new startups often have no assignments. A potential investor should wait three months in such situations. That's because a person has three months to file an assignment. It's a rate/notice policy. An assignment that was filed sooner has priority.

The danger is that someone else earned the patent assignment during those three months. They simply haven't filed with the USPTO yet. 

An older patent application without an assignment also has a requirement. The owner must file an assignment and wait three months to see if anyone else files an assignment. Assuming they don't, the assignment becomes valid.

A solid chain of title is important. It prevents infringement claims or questions of ownership. 

What Are Inventorship Issues?

Probably the worst thing that can happen with a patent claim is that someone isn't listed correctly. These situations can lead to long, expensive legal battles. An attorney can defeat a patent by proving an incorrect listing of the inventors.

There are two types of inventorship issues. Sometimes people are left off the document. One or more people could be listed as inventors even if they had nothing to do with the actual invention. The other issue is that an inventor could exclude people from the listing who deserve inventor status. 

Which Issues Arise From Having Too Many or Too Few Inventors Listed?

Inventor listings include some degree of politics. The owner of a company might expect an inventor listing for anything his employees create.

The opposite is also true. Some leaders are so generous that they credit a lot of employees as inventors, even if these workers added little to the project. 

Problems arise when someone buys the company or acquires rights to the patent. The owner of the patent has to get approval from every inventor listed.

If this happens a long time after the invention, several of these employees might work for different companies now. An investigator must contact each of them to get approval. If a single person refuses, an affadavit could negate the entire patent. 

Having too few inventors isn't as big a concern in most instances. The glaring exception is a startup accelerator company. These patents have only half the value. Many of these businesses work in tight quarters.

An employee from one startup could easily give advice to someone from a different firm. This advice could lead to a patent. The person from the second company would expect listing on the patent.

Whether the person is right or not doesn't matter. The fact that they believe it is enough to cause issues. Investors aren't interested in such patents since they appreciate the risk. The second person's claim could invalidate the patent, making it worthless.

Do Any Legal Issues Come Into Play?

Yes. For inventor claims, the safest tactic is to require employee agreements . These agreements are for patents and proprietary information. The contracts generally give the company ownership of an invention. This happens the moment the worker signs the contract.

The USPTO will accept this document as a an assignment, too. It's a preventative measure against inventors trying to take patent claims with them when they leave the company.

How Does the Patent Assignment Database Work?

The Patent Assignment Database has a search button that lets people find information about patents . The site shows assignments, which work almost the same way as a deed that shows the transfer of real estate. A person or business receives an assignment. This document lists the transfer of a patent.

Under the latest update, version 1.4, a person can search and download almost all patent information. A user can also download the original patent assignment and cover sheets. Before this update, people had to buy copies from the USPTO.

The current available searches on the Patent Assignment Database include:

  • Assignee name
  • Frame/reel number : The government stores patent assignment documents on microfiche. The reel number and frame number show the numbers for the specific reel and frame of the real documents.
  • Patent number

The newest search features in version 1.4 include:

  • Quick look-up : The user can enter one or more of the search terms above to find the exact document they want to read.
  • Quick nav links
  • Favorite views : A person can research Legacy Assignments on the Web (AOTW) to see Assignor and Assignee summaries and details.

The USPTO has changed the way it shows information on the Patent Assignment Database website. The earlier version showed ownership information. The updated version shows PDF images of the recorded documents. These include executed assignment documents. The new system is better since the public instead of the USPTO verifies ownership information. The USPTO simply displays the cover sheet record. 

How Does a User Search the Patent Assignment Database?

The Patent Assignment Database is easy to search . It has an ordered setup that lets the user look up intellectual property (IP) assets.

The search engine lets users:

  • Search for patents : Specific searches are possible. A user can find basically anything they want if they know how to look for it.
  • Set mail alerts : A person can ask for email notifications when the system finds a certain patent listing or update. This immediate alert helps people in the patent industry become the first ones to know about a change that affects their industry.
  • Receive alerts about patent assignment updates : A person may want to know when the status of a patent changes. Since the system records every update, a person can ask for alerts about any patents that they're watching.
  • Research legal issues : One of the updates that the Patent Assignment Database tracks is lawsuits. When a lawsuit impacts a patent, the database updates the file. Someone researching a specific patent can view all of this information.

What Are the Benefits of Tracking the Patent Assignment Database?

A person who monitors the Patent Assignment Database can benefit greatly. Potential benefits include:

  • Seeing technology trends : When a person notices several patent claims in the same industry, they can study it for potential growth. New advances in a field generally lead to economic growth.

For example, a discovery in digital advertising rules allowed Facebook to become one of the most valuable companies in the world. Someone studying the company's patent filings could have bought shares in Facebook at a low cost, making a lot of money over time. They also could have invested in other companies that would benefit from the sales growth of digital advertising.

  • Ability to acquire IP and/or company : Patent filings hint at future developments in an industry. A business or investor with extra money can track the Patent Assignment Database to find the next big thing in a field.

Facebook, for example, saw Oculus Rift filings and decided to buy the company for roughly $2 billion . It now owns many of the most important virtual reality patents in the world. Had Facebook waited until later to buy, it might have had to pay a lot more for the same intellectual property.

  • Understand company portfolio in greater detail : The various copyrights that a company owns are important to its business standing. By studying current patents and any additions, a person will have a greater understanding of a company's current and future financial positions.

Is Any Information Not Listed in the Patent Assignment Database?

The database records few patent licenses. While a person might want to know the names of every business that licenses a patent, the government doesn't deem this information important. So, no rule requires a person or company to list licensing usages.

This decision is good for businesses. Many licensing deals are confidential. A company would have to break that agreement to register the licensing agreement on the patent record. Some web search engines allow users to search every listed licensing instance, though.

How Does a User Find the Current Owner Information of a Patent?

The Public Pair link at the Patent Assignment Database has information about the current owner of a patent. The user can search for this information using any of the Application Number, Patent Number , or Publication Number.

One note about the process is that it's not always correct. The reporting of an assignment isn't always immediate. Until this happens, the database won't record changes on the patent record. As a safety measure, check a paid database. Otherwise, your best bet is to do a search in Google News.

How Does a User Search the Patent Assignment Database More Effectively?

The system isn't user-friendly. A person will need a lot of practice to master searches. A few tips for searching more effectively include:

  • Remove employer assignments : Some employers have contracts that require patent assignments. These lead to pointless results when you do a search. You can remove these assignments with a single click. The results will seem less cluttered.
  • Name changes : Corporations change their names from time to time. When this happens, they file the change with the USPTO. The outcome is that all of their patents will show misleading ownership changes. Do a search for "Change of Name" to remove those results from your search.
  • Merges and acquisitions : The same issue occurs with these transactions. The patent technically changes hands but not in a meaningful way. Use the Conveyance button to remove "Change of Name" and "Merger" from your results.
  • Security agreements : These transactions give the least useful results. Some companies use patents to secure loans. Until they pay the amount owed, the patent's ownership status lists with the wrong company, the money lender. In some cases, thousands of transactions display incorrectly. Remove "Security" from your results to avoid this information overload.

The patent assignment database underscores the difficulty of the patent process . Your best buy is to hire a top attorney to guide you through the process. Post your job on Upcounsel to find the best lawyer for your needs.

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The basics of patent assignments

What is a patent assignment, what are the requirements to make it valid, and why would a business enter into a patent assignment agreement? Read on to find answers to these questions and more.

Find out more about Patents

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by   Cindy DeRuyter, Esq.

Cindy DeRuyter, Esq., has been writing for LegalZoom since 2018. She earned a Juris Doctor from Mitchell Hamline Scho...

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Updated on: January 22, 2024 · 2min read

Defining Patent Assignment

Requirements to assign a patent, searching for patent assignments.

Assigning patents can be a great way for companies to generate revenue and reduce risks associated with intellectual property ownership. If you are considering entering into a patent assignment agreement, understand that it is irrevocable. Because of that, evaluate proposed terms and provisions carefully before moving forward.

Young coworkers looking at laptops and paperwork on a desk

Here's a high-level overview of how patent assignments work: when a patent's owner or applicant assigns it to another individual or company, the assignor agrees to relinquish their rights to enforce or benefit from it in the future.

You can assign rights for applications still pending with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). When the USPTO approves the application, the assignee benefits from and may use and enforce the patent, not the assignor. Companies also assign rights for issued patents, which relieves the assignor of the burden of enforcing their intellectual property and provides a source of revenue.

Patent assignments can be lucrative for both parties. While assignors make money right away, assignees can create revenue streams by earning money from royalty payments. After an assignment is complete, the assignee has exclusive rights to such income.

A patent assignment agreement documents the transfer and arrangement between the parties. If you are considering entering into one, know that you need it to be written—a verbal agreement alone is insufficient.

Don't underestimate the importance of this, either. Without a valid agreement on file with the USPTO, an intended assignor remains legally responsible for the patent and an intended assignee gains none of the rights or benefits.

Here are the requirements for a valid written assignment:

  • Confirm that the assignor has the full, legal right to make the assignment and that the assignee can legally assume the rights and obligations.
  • Clearly identify both the assignor and assignee using legal names. If more than one company owns the patent, identify all owners.
  • Identify the underlying patent by title and number and include a complete and accurate description of it.
  • Describe the terms of the agreement, including financial arrangements.
  • All parties must sign the agreement, with limited exceptions in situations where the assignor cannot be reached but where enough evidence exists that documents their intentions and rights.
  • File the patent assignment with the USPTO within three months after the agreement is signed, paying the then-current fee.

Though the agreement is a legal document, it does not need to be notarized. However, obtaining notarization for the signatures provides added protection, limiting the risk of a party later claiming a signature was not valid.

The USPTO maintains a patent assignment database that includes all the assignments recorded since August 1980. Using the database, you can search with the assignor's or assignee's name, the patent number, application number, publication number, or other identifying information.

Properly assigning patents protects both assignors and assignees. If you want to assign a patent, downloading a patent assignment form can help. Alternatively, you can consult an intellectual property attorney .

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Patent Assignment: How to Transfer Ownership of a Patent

By Michael K. Henry, Ph.D.

Patent Assignment: How to Transfer Ownership of a Patent

  • Intellectual Property
  • Patent Prosecution

This is the second in a two-part blog series on owning and transferring the rights to a patent. ( Read part one here. )

As we discussed in the first post in this series, patent owners enjoy important legal and commercial benefits: They have the right to exclude others from making, selling, using or importing the claimed invention, and to claim damages from anyone who infringes their patent.

However, a business entity can own a patent only if the inventors have assigned the patent rights to the business entity. So if your employees are creating valuable IP on behalf of your company, it’s important to get the patent assignment right, to ensure that your business is the patent owner.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at what a patent assignment even is — and the best practices for approaching the process. But remember, assignment (or transfer of ownership) is a function of state law, so there might be some variation by state in how all this gets treated.

What Is a Patent Assignment and Why Does it Matter?

A patent assignment is an agreement where one entity (the “assignor”) transfers all or part of their right, title and interest in a patent or application to another entity (the “assignee”). 

In simpler terms, the assignee receives the original owner’s interest and gains the exclusive rights to pursue patent protection (through filing and prosecuting patent applications), and also to license and enforce the patent. 

Ideally, your business should own its patents if it wants to enjoy the benefits of the patent rights. But  under U.S. law , only an inventor or an assignee can own a patent — and businesses cannot be listed as an inventor. Accordingly, patent assignment is the legal mechanism that transfers ownership from the inventor to your business.

Patent Assignment vs. Licensing

Keep in mind that an assignment is different from a license. The difference is analogous to selling versus renting a house.

In a license agreement, the patent owner (the “licensor”) gives another entity (the “licensee”) permission to use the patented technology, while the patent owner retains ownership. Like a property rental, a patent license contemplates an ongoing relationship between the licensor and licensee.

In a patent assignment, the original owner permanently transfers its ownership to another entity. Like a property sale, a patent assignment is a permanent transfer of legal rights.

U sing Employment Agreements to Transfer Patent Ownership

Before your employees begin developing IP,  implement strong hiring policies  that ensure your IP rights will be legally enforceable in future.

If you’re bringing on a new employee, have them sign an  employment agreement  that establishes up front what IP the company owns — typically, anything the employee invents while under your employment. This part of an employment agreement is often presented as a self-contained document, and referred to as a “Pre-Invention Assignment Agreement” (PIAA).

The employment agreement should include the following provisions:

  • Advance assignment of any IP created while employed by your company, or using your company’s resources
  • An obligation to disclose any IP created while employed by your company, or using your company’s resources
  • An ongoing obligation to provide necessary information and execute documents related to the IP they created while employed, even after their employment ends
  • An obligation not to disclose confidential information to third parties, including when the employee moves on to a new employer

To track the IP your employees create, encourage your employees to document their contributions by completing  invention disclosure records .

But the paperwork can be quite involved, which is why your employment policies should also include  incentives to create and disclose valuable IP .

Drafting Agreements for Non-Employees

Some of the innovators working for your business might not have a formal employer-employee relationship with the business. If you don’t make the appropriate arrangements beforehand, this could complicate patent assignments. Keep an eye out for the following staffing arrangements:

  • Independent contractors:  Some inventors may be self-employed, or they may be employed by one of your service providers.
  • Joint collaborators:  Some inventors may be employed by, say, a subsidiary or service company instead of your company.
  • Anyone who did work through an educational institution : For example, Ph.D. candidates may not be employees of either their sponsoring institution or your company.

In these cases, you can still draft contractor or collaborator agreements using the same terms outlined above. Make sure the individual innovator signs it before beginning any work on behalf of your company.

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O btaining Written Assignments for New Patent Applications

In addition to getting signed employment agreements, you should  also  get a written assignments for each new patent application when it’s filed, in order to memorialize ownership of the specific patent property.

Don’t rely exclusively on the employment agreement to prove ownership:

  • The employment agreement might contain confidential terms, so you don’t want to record them with the patent office
  • Because employment agreements are executed before beginning the process of developing the invention, they won’t clearly establish what specific patent applications are being assigned

While you  can  execute the formal assignment for each patent application after the application has been filed, an inventor or co-inventor who no longer works for the company might refuse to execute the assignment.

As such, we recommend executing the assignment before filing, to show ownership as of the filing date and avoid complications (like getting signatures from estranged inventors).

How to Execute a Written Patent Agreement

Well-executed invention assignments should:

  • Be in writing:  Oral agreements to assign patent rights are typically not enforceable in the United States
  • Clearly identify all parties:  Include the names, addresses, and relationship of the assignor(s) and assignee
  • Clearly identify the patent being assigned:  State the patent or patent application number, title, inventors, and filing date
  • Be signed by the assignors
  • Be notarized : If notarization isn’t possible, have one or two witnesses attest to the signatures

Recording a Patent Assignment With the USPTO

Without a recorded assignment with the U.S. patent office, someone else could claim ownership of the issued patent, and you could even lose your rights in the issued patent in some cases. 

So the patent owner (the Assignee) should should record the assignment through the  USPTO’s Assignment Recordation Branch . They can use the  Electronic Patent Assignment System (EPAS)  to file a  Recordation Cover Sheet  along with a copy of the actual patent assignment agreement.

They should submit this paperwork  within three months  of the assignment’s date. If it’s recorded electronically, the USPTO  won’t charge a recordation fee .

Need to check who owns a patent?  The USPTO website  publicly lists all information about a patent’s current and previous assignments.

When Would I Need to Execute a New Assignment for a Related Application?

You’ll need only one patent assignment per patent application, unless new matter is introduced in a new filing (e.g., in a  continuation-in-part , or in a non-provisional application that adds new matter to a  provisional application ). In that case, you’ll need an additional assignment to cover the new matter — even if it was developed by the same inventors.

What If an Investor Won’t Sign the Written Assignment?

If you can’t get an inventor to sign an invention assignment, you can still move forward with a patent application — but you’ll need to document your ownership. To document ownership, you can often rely on an   employee agreement ,  company policy ,  invention disclosure , or other employment-related documentation.

D o I Need to Record My Assignments in Foreign Countries?

Most assignments transfer all rights, title, and interest in all patent rights throughout the world.

But in some countries, the assignment might not be legally effective until the assignment has been recorded in that country — meaning that the assignee can’t enforce the patent rights, or claim damages for any infringement that takes place before the recordation. 

And there might be additional formal requirements that aren’t typically required in the United States. For example, some countries might require a transfer between companies to be signed by both parties, and must contain one or both parties’ addresses.

If you’re assigning patents issued by a foreign country, consult a patent attorney in that country to find out what’s required to properly document the transfer of ownership.

N eed Help With Your Patent Assignments?

Crafting robust assignment agreements is essential to ensuring the proper transfer of patent ownership. An  experienced patent professional  can help you to prepare legally enforceable documentation.

Henry Patent Law Firm has worked with tech businesses of all sizes to execute patent assignments —  contact us now  to learn more.

GOT A QUESTION? Whether you want to know more about the patent process or think we might be a good fit for your needs – we’d love to hear from you!

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Michael K. Henry, Ph.D.

Michael K. Henry, Ph.D., is a principal and the firm’s founding member. He specializes in creating comprehensive, growth-oriented IP strategies for early-stage tech companies.

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Don't miss a new article. Henry Patent Law's Patent Law News + Insights blog is designed to help people like you build smart, scalable patent strategies that protect your intellectual property as your business grows. Subscribe to receive email updates every time we publish a new article — don't miss out on key tips to help your business be more successful.

Ant-Like Persistence

What USPTO should do — make patent assignments viewable

USPTO, in response to pressure from the White House and from big companies that are recipients of cease-and-desist letters, recently published proposed rules with a stated goal of promoting transparency in ownership of patents.  There are many things wrong (blog) with the proposed rules.  But there is a simple thing that the USPTO could do to promote transparency in ownership of patents that would not require rulemaking at all — make patent assignments viewable.

The recent proposed USPTO rules would impose upon all patent applicants a set of very burdensome reporting requirements and related validity risks.  Each applicant would for example have to develop a list of “attributable owners” (individual shareholders of corporate parents, individual partners in partnerships, identities of certain licensees, etc.) and disclose it to the USPTO upon filing of the patent application, and would have to provide updates to the USPTO every few months during the pendency of a patent application.  The mechanism for enforcement would be that at litigation time, a patent would be held invalid because it would be deemed to have gone abandoned years earlier due to some lapse or omission in the applicant’s “attributable owners list” reports filed with the USPTO during pendency of the patent application.  In my comments to the USPTO I expressed the hope that the proposed rules will be scrapped.

Meanwhile, however, there is a simple thing that the USPTO could do to promote transparency in ownership of patents that would not impose large burdens upon patent applicants (like the proposed rules would do) and would not require rulemaking at all.  The USPTO could make patent assignments viewable.

First a bit of background.  If you want to know who owns a US patent or who owns a US trademark registration, for over a decade the way that you would start is by doing a search in the “ Assignments on the Web ” system.  In this system you would plug in a search term and receive one or more search results.  The search term might be the property number itself (the patent number or trademark registration number).  Or it might be an assignee name or an assignor name.  The search results would be one or more “reel and frame numbers”, each of which indicated the microfilm location of images of the pages of the recorded document.  To get to the bottom of things, for each “reel and frame number” you would then have to send money to the USPTO ($25 per document) and wait for the USPTO to mail you a copy of the recorded document.  The $25 fee was tied to the employee time required to go find the correct microfilm reel and load it into a viewer/printer, and to scroll to the correct frame number, click the “print” button on the printer, and to stuff the printed pages into an envelope to be mailed to you.

After a wait of a couple of weeks, the envelope would arrive from the USPTO and you would review the copies of the recorded documents.  A document might list other related properties in which case you might find the need to do more searching and might then need to send more money to the USPTO and wait more weeks for more things to show up in the mail from the USPTO.  Review of a particular document might reveal that it was not actually an assignment at all but was conditioned on later events or was a page from a company employee policy handbook.

In the old days such delays and expense were understandable, given that the information really was trapped on physical reels of microfilm.  It was understandable that the task of getting to the bottom of who owned which patents or trademark registrations was cumbersome and took weeks or months.

But those were the old days.  For over a decade, USPTO has recorded assignments not on physical microfilm but in computer systems.  Instead of snapping a photograph of the document using a microfilm camera, USPTO runs the document through an imaging scanner, just like you or I would do, and stores it in a computer.  (USPTO gives a nod to the old world of microfilm by giving a fictional “reel and frame number” to the location in the computer of each stored scanned image.)  What’s more, USPTO has (wisely) scanned its backfile of microfilm reels (back to 1955) into this same computer system.  So nowadays if a USPTO employee needs to see some assignment document, there is no need to manipulate physical reels of microfilm any more — it can all be done with a few mouse clicks from the employee’s desk.

If the ownership that you are researching is that of a trademark registration , USPTO nowadays lets any member of the general public view the actual recorded document directly.  There is no need to pay $25 and wait a couple of weeks to receive a copy of a recorded document.  Here is an example:

totw

The trademark people at the USPTO are to be commended for making recorded trademark assignments easily viewable in this way.  It’s been this way for more than a year now.  No $25 fee, no waiting a couple of weeks.

Unaccountably, however, the patent people at the USPTO have not followed suit.  To this day, if you want to view a recorded patent assignment, you have to pay the $25 fee and you have to wait a couple of weeks, just as it was in the old days of physical reels of microfilm.

Which gets us back to the main point of this blog post.  If USPTO wants to respond to pressure from the White House and elsewhere to promote transparency in patent ownership, why not respond by providing a “view recorded assignment” link for patent assignments as it already does for trademark assignments?

I know part of the answer to this question.  All trademark assignments are by law a matter of public record, so there is no legal problem with making it easy for a member of the public to simply click and view the assignment.  In contrast, a fraction of patent assignments (those directed to patent applications that have not been published or issued) are by law kept secret within the USPTO until such time as the property involved is published or patented.  This means that USPTO can’t simply let a member of the public see any randomly selected reel and frame number.  It’s a matter of writing the computer program so that it gets the right answer as to which patent assignments can be viewed and which cannot.

But this computer program has already been written and it already gets the right answer.  The present-day “ Assignments on the Web ” system for patent assignments already figures out which reel-and-frame-numbers it should tell you about and which ones it shouldn’t tell you about (based on whether the property has been published or issued).  So it really is just a matter of adding a “view recorded assignment” link on a web page that already exists.  Adding this link to the web page would be one way for the USPTO to respond to the White House and to the members of the public who have been clamoring for greater transparency of patent ownership.

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One reply to “what uspto should do — make patent assignments viewable”.

Great idea. Have their been any movements towards publishing the assignments?

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Law Office of John B. Hudak, PLLC

An intellectual property law firm: patents, trademarks, and copyrights., viewing patent assignments.

Patent assignment documents can be searched for - and viewed - by using the United States Patent and Trademark Office Patent Assignment Search webpage .

You can search for an assignment by using: the assignor’s name; the assignee’s name, patent application number, patent number, and other information tied to the patent. 

A patent assignment is generally considered the transfer of patent rights. 

Use this information as a starting point for doing due diligence on investments; or mergers and acquisitions.

How do I research patent assignments?

There are three main elements you will need to be able to do for research on patent assignments: 

The main task is: 

A) finding patent assignments filed with the Patent Office

  • this will show you the actual documents or contracts where the patent rights are transferred 

In order to do that you will need to:

a) look up the patent or patent application  

  • this will show you what patents or patent applications the company publicly owns so you can view the relevant assignments

b) view the full patent or patent application file  

  • this will show you the continuity data about related applications/patents so you can view any later patents or patent applications which were created later in time, to determine if those property rights were also transferred 

How do I find a patent assignment?

Assignments of patents are publicly recorded through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Use the steps below find the chain of title transfer -- and in general researching assignments when doing due diligence for investments. 

  • You will find relevant patents attached to the company being researched. 
  • Then, you will determine all the patents or patent applications which come before or after the relevant patents by viewing Continuity Data in the full patent file. 
  • Once all the relevant patents are known, those Patent Numbers and Patent Applications Numbers will be entered into the patent assignment database, with all the assignments for that particular Patent Number or Patent Application Number. Then view the actual contract for each patent assignment to view the transfer of rights starting at the first assignment.

1. Finding the patents or patent applications:  

Start with finding the patents or patent applications which are publicly available (looking up a patent or patent application). All patents are published when issued. Patent applications are usually published 18 months after the filing date of the patent application. In some instances an applicant will request a patent application is not published before issuance.

Find patents or patent applications related to a company or individual by searching under the Field of Assignee name or Applicant name in the Basic Search of the USPTO Public Patent Search .

2. Viewing related patents or patent applications

To find information related to the original patent or patent application you will need to go to t he USPTO Patent Center , which allows you to view the full patent file. When viewing the patent file in the Patent Center, go to the Continuity Data tab. In the Continuity Data tab you will see information about any patents or patent applications which came after the patent file you are looking at – and you will see information about any patent or patent application which came before the patent file you are looking at. 

3. View the assignments

When searching patents in the Patent Office Assignment Database there will be a list of assignments for that Patent or Patent Application. Start at the first assignment until the last assignment to view the chain of title. Within each assignment document review the cover sheet for accuracy but then continue to the next section to the actual contract transferring the patent rights -- and view the transfer.

Other Information for Understanding Patent Assignments

What are you looking at when you view a patent assignment.

You will view: (1) the Patent Assignment Cover Sheet, then (2) the Actual Assignment Contract which shows the transfer of rights.

The Cover Sheet describes the transfer and who the assignment is between.

The parts of the Cover Sheet are:

  • Nature of Conveyance: Examples include - assignment, assignment due to merger, change of name, security interest, or court order. 
  • Conveying Party Data (the assignor) 
  • Receiving Party Data (the assignee) 
  • Property Numbers: the US Patent Numbers, the US Patent Application Numbers, or the PCT International Applications 

After the Cover Sheet is the Actual Assignment Contract conveying the interest. The actual agreement can be viewed to determine what the agreement is transferring. There is no verification process by the Patent Office, where the Patent Office will view the actual agreement. The Patent Office only records the assignment. 

What is a patent assignment?

An assignment of a patent is a transfer of ownership of patent rights. An assignor is the person/entity transferring patent rights to another person/entity. An assignee is the person/entity receiving patent rights from another person/entity. The assignor transfers their patent rights to the assignee. 

Can I just look at the patent itself and not do an extensive search?

The patent or patent application may be assigned to another company after what is published in the patent or patent application. Therefore, viewing the assignee information on the Patent Office Assignment Database is important – instead of only looking at what is on the face of a published patent or patent application. 

Other important information about ownership and assignments

35 U.S.C. 261   Ownership; assignment.

“... Applications for patent, patents, or any interest therein, shall be assignable in law by an instrument in writing." 

"An interest that constitutes an assignment, grant, or conveyance shall be void as against any subsequent purchaser or mortgagee for a valuable consideration, without notice, unless it is recorded in the Patent and Trademark Office within three months from its date or prior to the date of such subsequent purchase or mortgage.” 

Extra Reading

From the Law Office of John B. Hudak:

  • Read more about looking up patents: Looking up a Patent or Patent Application  
  • Read more about searching using different fields in legal research: Using All Fields Available - Explanation of the Most Common Fields  
  • Read more about viewing the full patent file: Viewing the Full Patent or Patent Application File  

From the Patent Office:

  • Frequently Asked Questions about patent assignments explained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office
  • A working paper by the Patent Office explaining patent assignments – gives an example of a lost chain of title

From another Law Firm:

  • An article by the Finnegan law firm describing how a patent owner can assert rights in a patent even if a security interest is granted or recorded

Attorney Advertising. This website is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Using this site or communicating with the Law Office of John B. Hudak, PLLC through this site does not form an attorney-client relationship.   An attorney-client relationship shall be formed only after an Attorney Engagement Letter is sent by the law office to the Client. Please do not share any unsolicited confidential information with our law firm by email or phone. This site is legal advertising. Copyright © 2024 

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United States Patent and Trademark Office - An Agency of the Department of Commerce

Hear from USPTO Deputy Director Brent at 2024 Black Innovation and Entrepreneurship program

Published on: 02/21/2024 11:13 AM

The Black Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program is presented by the Office of Innovation Outreach. For more information, or if you have any questions, please email  InnovationOutreach @​uspto.gov .   

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COMMENTS

  1. United States Patent and Trademark Office

    This searchable database contains all recorded Patent Assignment information from August 1980 to the present. When the USPTO receives relevant information for its assignment database, the USPTO puts the information in the public record and does not verify the validity of the information.

  2. Search for patents

    7 Steps to Searching at a PTRC Patent Official Gazette The Electronic Official Gazette allows users to browse through the issued patents for the current week. The Official Gazette can be browsed by classification or type of patent, for example, utility, design, and plant. Common Citation Document (CCD)

  3. Patents Assignments: Change & search ownership

    Use Patent Assignment Search to search the database of all recorded Patent Assignment information from 1980 to the present (Patent Assignments recorded prior to 1980 are maintained at the National Archives and Records Administration). You may email questions about searching patent assignments to [email protected].

  4. Assignment Center

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is streamlining the process for recording assignments and other documents relating to interests in patents and trademarks. Our new system will guide you through the steps of making a submission, provide easier editing capabilities, and allow you to see the progression and status of your submission.

  5. Assignments on the Web (AOTW)

    Patents Laws Power of Attorney and Assignment Assignments on the Web (AOTW) Assignments on the Web (AOTW) TECHNICAL QUESTIONS E-mail & Phone System Requirements Data Entry Name Search Wildcard Search Navigating AOTW Search Result Links SEARCH HINTS Number Name Reel/Frame Serial Number Registration Number Assignor Name Assignor Name Index

  6. USPTO Assignments on the Web

    United States Patent and Trademark Office Home | Site Index | Search | Guides | Contacts | eBusiness | eBiz alerts | News | Help: Assignments on the Web: Select One Patent Assignment Trademark Assignment If you have any comments or questions concerning the data displayed, contact PRD / Assignments at 571-272-3350. v.2.6. Web interface last ...

  7. Patent Center

    Manage all your filings and correspondence at a single location with a Patent Center account.You can now obtain a Patent Center account following a few easy steps. NOTE: For information on the Paperwork Reduction Act as it pertains to: ePetitions and Web-based application data sheets, please see the OMB Clearance and PRA Burden Statement page.

  8. Google Patents

    Search within the title, abstract, claims, or full patent document: You can restrict your search to a specific field using field names.. Use TI= to search in the title, AB= for the abstract, CL= for the claims, or TAC= for all three. For example, TI=(safety belt). Search by Cooperative Patent Classifications (CPCs): These are commonly used to represent ideas in place of keywords, and can also ...

  9. Patent Assignment Dataset

    The latest update contains detailed information on 10.0 million patent assignments and other transactions recorded at the USPTO since 1970 and involving roughly 17.8 million patents and patent applications. It is derived from the recording of patent transfers by parties with the USPTO.

  10. Patent Assignment Database: Everything You Need to Know

    The Patent Assignment Database has a search button that lets people find information about patents. The site shows assignments, which work almost the same way as a deed that shows the transfer of real estate. A person or business receives an assignment. This document lists the transfer of a patent.

  11. The basics of patent assignments

    Here's a high-level overview of how patent assignments work: when a patent's owner or applicant assigns it to another individual or company, the assignor agrees to relinquish their rights to enforce or benefit from it in the future. You can assign rights for applications still pending with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  12. Patent Assignment: How to Transfer Ownership of a Patent

    A patent assignment is an agreement where one entity (the "assignor") transfers all or part of their right, title and interest in a patent or application to another entity (the "assignee").

  13. Understanding Patent Assignments: Definition, Usage, Benefits, and

    A patent assignment is a legal mechanism through which ownership rights of a patent are transferred from one party (the assignor) to another (the assignee). This process plays a pivotal role in ...

  14. What USPTO should do

    All trademark assignments are by law a matter of public record, so there is no legal problem with making it easy for a member of the public to simply click and view the assignment. In contrast, a fraction of patent assignments (those directed to patent applications that have not been published or issued) are by law kept secret within the USPTO ...

  15. PDF Assignment Center Training Guide Patents

    Assignment Center Training Guide Patents January 2024 This document section provides the steps to create a new USPTO.gov account and access the Assignment Center USPTO.gov Account Creation Steps; Account Creation Navigate to URL, https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov to access the Assignment Center landing page (public facing).

  16. PatentsView

    Community Forum. A moderated community that offers collaborative spaces for conversations, problem-solving, and creative thinking about patenting and innovation.

  17. View Patent Assignments

    Patent assignment documents can be searched for - and viewed - by using the United States Patent and Trademark Office Patent Assignment Search webpage. You can search for an assignment by using: the assignor's name; the assignee's name, patent application number, patent number, and other information tied to the patent.

  18. Starting a patent assignment request in Assignment Center

    Published on: January 29, 2024 14:47 Learn how to use start a patent request in Assignment Center. Assignment Center is a publicly available USPTO system for recording assignments and other documents relating to interests in patents and trademarks. Other ways to view this video Watch it on YouTube

  19. PatentsView

    PatentsView is a patent data visualization and analysis platform that increases the value, utility, and transparency of U.S. patent data. The initiative is supported by the Office of the Chief Economist in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Latest updates from the PatentsView team About PatentsView

  20. PDF Assignment Center Training Guide Patents

    Navigate to URL, https://assignmentcenter.uspto.gov to access the Assignment Center landing page (public facing). On top of page far right, click the link, 'Create an account'. On the, 'Create a USPTO.gov account' page. Please provide information for all required input boxes, as indicated with an "*"; 4.

  21. Hear from USPTO Deputy Director Brent at 2024 Black Innovation and

    Online patent tools. Locate online patent services and information. Patent Center. Single interface replacement for EFS-Web, Private PAIR and Public PAIR. Check application status. Check patent application status with Patent Center. Fees and payment. Pay maintenance fees and learn more about filing fees and other payments. Patent Trial & Appeal ...