Ownership change can also be a way of individuating patent trolls.
In pastat applicant data may change each ediction: "the names and addresses are taken from the most recent publication of an application. In PATSTAT we discard names for earlier publications of the same application.
E.g. if we have names for a published US application, and also for a US published grant, then PATSTAT ignores the names for the published application. If there are more than 1 publications of the grant, then only the names from the latest publication are stored in PATSTAT." [from pastat docs]
If we need an easier way to track the change of ownership we may use TLS221_inpadoc_prs data where among PRS code we may find change of ownership and the name of new owner.
Some examples are
RAP1 TRANSFER OF RIGHTS OF AN EP APPLICATION
RAP2 TRANSFER OF RIGHTS OF AN EP PUBLICATION
for EPO (in appendix I'll try to make the most complete possible list for all patent offices), being aware that field L509EP contains the names of those to whom was tranferred the property.
FI: EP 1020876 in it's legal status file shows 3 records with cange of ownership on 2003/03/19:
AUTONETWORKS TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.
SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
anyway if we look @ the application or @ the original document we find 3 owner, exactly:
SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
and ---- HARNESS SYST TECH RES LTD
If we look in Patstat 201010 we find:
AUTONETWORKS TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.
SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
Eventually if in espacenet we press + key next tot applicant name, 4 applicants pop up:
AUTONETWORKS TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.
SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
HARNESS SYST TECH RES LTD
Making a resume:
In espacenet we find the original applicants,
pressing +, we get all the owners, even if they do not own the patent anymore
In prs legal data we get, with events of ownership change, all the new owners (if we change only 1 owner out of 50 we will have 49 records with old owners + 1 for new owner)
Patstat always contains the last owner.
APPENDIX: partial list of ownership change status
| appln_ctry | prscode1 | description | ||
| AT | PD9K | CHANGE OF OWNER OF UTILITY MODEL | ||
| AT | TC9K | CHANGE OF COMPANY | ||
| BE | CH | ENTRY OF CHANGE OF NAME AND/OR HEADQUARTER AND TRANSFER OF APPLICATION,PATENT AND CERTIF. OF ADDITION OF INVENTION: CHANGE OF NAME ON REQUIREMENT | ||
| BE | CN | ENTRY OF CHANGE OF NAME AND/OR HEADQUARTER AND TRANSFER OF APPLICATION,PATENT AND CERTIF. OF ADDITION OF INVENTION: CHANGE OF HEADQUARTER REFUSED | ||
| CH | SPCP | CERTIFICATES - MODIFICATION OF FIRM | ||
| CN | ASS | SUCCESSION OR ASSIGNMENT OF PATENT RIGHT | ||
| DD | ASS | CHANGE OF APPLICANT OR OWNER | ||
| DE | 8327 | CHANGE IN THE PERSON/NAME/ADDRESS OF THE PATENT OWNER | ||
| DE | 8127 | NEW PERSON/NAME/ADDRESS OF THE APPLICANT | ||
| EP | RAP1 | TRANSFER OF RIGHTS OF AN EP APPLICATION | ||
| EP | RAP2 | TRANSFER OF RIGHTS OF AN EP PUBLICATION | ||
| EP | BECN | BE: CHANGE OF HOLDER'S NAME | ||
| EP | BECA | BE: CHANGE OF HOLDER'S ADDRESS | ||
| EP | BECH | BE: CHANGE OF HOLDER | ||
| EP | BE20 | BE: PATENT EXPIRED | ||
| EP | ITPR | IT: CHANGES IN OWNERSHIP OF A EUROPEAN PATENT | ||
| FI | GB | Transfer of assigment of application | ||
| FI | PC | Transfer of assignment of patent | ||
| GB | COOA | CHANGE IN APPLICANT'S NAME OR OWNERSHIP OF THE APPLICATION | ||
| HK | AS | CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP | ||
| IL | HP | CHANGES IN PROPRIETORSHIP | ||
| LT | PD9A | CHANGE OF THE GRANTEE | ||
| LT | PC9A | TRANSFER OF PATENTS | ||
| MD | PD4A | CHANGE OF PROPRIETORSHIP | ||
| NL | CD | TRANSFER OF RIGHTS (LAID OPEN PATENT APPLICATION) | ||
| NL | CNR | TRANSFER OF RIGHTS (PATENT APPLICATION AFTER ITS LAYING OPENFOR PUBLIC IN | ||
| NZ | ASS | CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP | ||
| PT | PC4K | TRANSFER OF ASSIGNMENT (UTILITY MODEL) | ||
| PT | PD4K | CHANGE OF PROPRIETORSHIP (UTILITY MODEL) | ||
| PT | PC3K | TRANSFER | ||
| PT | PD3K | CHANGE OF PROPRIETORSHIP | ||
| PT | PD3A | CHANGE OF PROPRIETORSHIP | ||
| PT | PD4A | CHANGE OF PROPRIETORSHIP | ||
