What is the difference between assigning and licensing a patent?
When a patent is assigned to an employer, title passes from the employee to the employer. The assignment may cover the whole patent, an undivided share of the patent or just the right to use the patent in one area of the US. Assignment also gives the employer the sole right to sue for enforcement of its rights in the patent. Assignments should be recorded in the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). A license gives the employer the right to use, manufacture and/or sell the invention. With a license, the employer typically will not have the right to sue a party who infringes the patent. When a patent is licensed to an employer, title remains with the employee.
