| The main difference between assigning a patent | | | | basically a promise not to sue the licensee for |
| and licensing a patent is important. Assigning | | | | infringement of those Patents, Trademarks or |
| Patents, Trademarks or Copyrights is basically | | | | Copyrights which belong to you. These licenses |
| selling the complete ownership interest in that | | | | are typically time-constrained. They may be |
| patent, trademark, or copyright. And the | | | | made for a fixed number of months, years, |
| licensing of a patent, trademark, or copyright is | | | | decades, or contingent upon a specific event. |
| like “renting” that patent, trademark, or | | | | Assignments, like deeds, are not time sensitive. |
| copyright. | | | | Once you assign those Patents, Trademarks or |
| Assignment of Patents, Trademarks or | | | | Copyrights, your rights in those Patents, |
| Copyrights can be made in whole or in part. In | | | | Trademarks or Copyrights are gone forever. In |
| other words, you may assign away 50%, 1%, or | | | | other words, you cannot assign those rights in |
| 99% of your interest in that Patent, Trademark, | | | | your Patents, Trademarks or Copyrights for a |
| or Copyright. Assignments may be integrated | | | | period of months, years, or decades. |
| into a contract, or may be drafted separately. | | | | For this reason, an assignment of Patents, |
| And the assignment of Patents, Trademarks or | | | | Trademarks or Copyrights will be more valuable |
| Copyrights can be fairly straight forward. | | | | than a simple license to those Patents, |
| By way of contrast, the licensing of Patents, | | | | Trademarks or Copyrights. As such, any |
| Trademarks or Copyrights is essentially | | | | assignment you make should be duly recorded |
| “renting” those Patents, Trademarks or | | | | with the USPTO, Library of Congress, or your |
| Copyrights. In the most strict legal sense, a | | | | Secretary of State. |
| license for Patents, Trademarks or Copyrights is | | | | |