What role does a court order play in correcting inventorship during reexamination?
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.
A court order can play a significant role in correcting inventorship during reexamination. According to MPEP 2250.02 and 37 CFR 1.530(l)(1):
“When it appears in a patent being reexamined that the correct inventor or inventors were not named, the Director may, […] on order of a court before which such matter is called in question, include in the reexamination certificate to be issued under § 1.570 or § 1.997 an amendment naming only the actual inventor or inventors.”
This means that if a court determines the correct inventorship of a patent under reexamination, the USPTO will respect that decision and include the corrected inventorship in the reexamination certificate.