Patent Law FAQ
This FAQ answers all your questions about patent law, patent procedure, and the patent examination process.
Here’s the complete FAQ:
The MPEP outlines two main types of patent ownership:
- Individual ownership: ‘An individual entity may own the entire right, title and interest of the patent property. This occurs where there is only one inventor, and the inventor has not assigned the patent property.’
- Joint ownership: ‘Multiple parties may together own the entire right, title and interest of the patent property.’ This can occur in several scenarios:
- Multiple partial assignees of the patent property
- Multiple inventors who have not assigned their rights
- A combination of partial assignee(s) and inventor(s) who have not assigned their rights
Understanding these ownership types is crucial for managing patent rights and making decisions about assignments or licenses.
Topics:
MPEP 300 - Ownership and Assignment,
MPEP 301-Ownership/Assignability of Patents and Applications,
Patent Law,
Patent Procedure