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Answered By: Farha Hasan Last Updated: May 08, 2024 Views: 15416 Q. Patent terminology: Inventor, Applicant, and AssigneeWhat is the difference between "inventor", "applicant", and "assignee"? How can these fields be used?
A.Inventor: individual(s) who have contributed to the claimed invention. However, they may or may not have an ownership interest in the legal rights of the patent.
Assignee: Organization(s) and individual(s) that have an ownership interest in the legal rights a patent offers. There may or may not be an assignee. An assignee is often the organization employing the inventor of the technology. An assignee can also change at a later date.
Applicant: Organization or individual that files the patent application is called the “applicant.” This could be the original inventor, or it could be the assignee.
Strategic application:
- Identify inventors to recruit for your company, or identify company to acquire
- Track competitor’s R&D strategies
- Identify and assess competitors, partners and collaborators
- Identify related patent classification codes including patent family codes
