Can an assignee of a part interest in a patent application inspect the application without the consent of the inventor or other assignees?

This page is an FAQ based on guidance from the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. It is provided as guidance, with links to the ground truth sources. This is information only: it is not legal advice.

No, an assignee of a part interest in a patent application cannot inspect the application without the consent of the inventor or other assignees. According to MPEP 106.01, the assignee of a part interest may not have access to the application file wrapper or be granted access to the subject matter of the application without the applicant’s consent. This restriction is in place to protect the interests of all parties involved in the patent application process.