Patent Assignment

Use our patent assignment template when you are transferring a patent between the registered owner of the patent and another party. The assignment document acts as the sale agreement for the patent. However, you can also use the template when the party receiving the patent (the ‘Assignee’) is not paying anything for the patent.

A patent assignment can also be used to transfer the benefit of patent applications that have been filed with the Intellectual Property Office but have not yet been granted as at the date of the assignment. Our patent assignment template includes an option where you can edit the template, depending on whether you are transferring registered patents, applications or both.

When to Use The Patent Assignment Template

Use the template if:

1. you are selling or buying a registered patent; or
2. you want to change the owner details for a patent where no payment between the parties applies.

The assignment document makes the transaction official and provides a record of the terms of the agreement. It is a contract between the parties. Our template also includes standard warranties, where the transferring party confirms that they have the actual right to transfer the patent.

Other names for  a patent assignment are a patent assignment contract or a patent assignment form. If you are looking for either of these, then this template is the document that you require.

Using our Patent Assignment Template

You can download our template agreement in Word format and then edit it to suit your specific requirements. When you edit the agreement, all you need to do is to complete the information that is shown within the [square] brackets to reflect your own circumstances. For example, this covers:

• the names of the parties to the agreement;
• the amount the purchaser of the patent is paying to the party selling it (if it involves a payment); and
• the date on which the transfer is to take place.

Once you have edited the template, you can then save it either in Word format or as a PDF. You can then print it and have the parties sign it.

Registering the Patent Assignment

Once the parties to the patent assignment template have signed the document, and have paid any money that needs to be paid, then to obtain legal title to the patent (and any applications included in the assignment), the assignment must be registered with the Intellectual Property office.

You can download the patent assignment form from their website. The form is ‘Form 21 – Application to Register or Give Notice of Rights’. You must pay a fee of £50 when you send the form to the Intellectual Property Office.

Unless both parties sign the Form 21, when you file the form with the IPO, you must also send:

• your signed patent assignment agreement, or
• a copy of it.

Help With Your Assignment

if you encounter any issues when completing the patent assignment template then do contact us. Our team will be happy to assist you with any questions that you have regarding the template. When you download the template, you will also get a set of detailed guidance notes. The notes take you through completing the agreement in a step-by-step way. You can expect the drafting time to take as little as 15 minutes, once you have read through the guide.

Yes, it really is that simple to use our Patent Assignment template.