About Intellectual Property IP Training IP Outreach IP for… IP and... IP in... Patent & Technology Information Trademark Information Industrial Design Information Geographical Indication Information Plant Variety Information (UPOV) IP Laws, Treaties & Judgements IP Resources IP Reports Patent Protection Trademark Protection Industrial Design Protection Geographical Indication Protection Plant Variety Protection (UPOV) IP Dispute Resolution IP Office Business Solutions Paying for IP Services Negotiation & Decision-Making Development Cooperation Innovation Support Public-Private Partnerships The Organization Working with WIPO Accountability Patents Trademarks Industrial Designs Geographical Indications Copyright Trade Secrets WIPO Academy Workshops & Seminars World IP Day WIPO Magazine Raising Awareness Case Studies & Success Stories IP News WIPO Awards Business Universities Indigenous Peoples Judiciaries Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions Economics Gender Equality Global Health Climate Change Competition Policy Sustainable Development Goals Enforcement Frontier Technologies Mobile Applications Sports Tourism PATENTSCOPE Patent Analytics International Patent Classification ARDI – Research for Innovation ASPI – Specialized Patent Information Global Brand Database Madrid Monitor Article 6ter Express Database Nice Classification Vienna Classification Global Design Database International Designs Bulletin Hague Express Database Locarno Classification Lisbon Express Database Global Brand Database for GIs PLUTO Plant Variety Database GENIE Database WIPO-Administered Treaties WIPO Lex - IP Laws, Treaties & Judgments WIPO Standards IP Statistics WIPO Pearl (Terminology) WIPO Publications Country IP Profiles WIPO Knowledge Center WIPO Technology Trends Global Innovation Index World Intellectual Property Report PCT – The International Patent System ePCT Budapest – The International Microorganism Deposit System Madrid – The International Trademark System eMadrid Article 6ter (armorial bearings, flags, state emblems) Hague – The International Design System eHague Lisbon – The International System of Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications eLisbon UPOV PRISMA Mediation Arbitration Expert Determination Domain Name Disputes Centralized Access to Search and Examination (CASE) Digital Access Service (DAS) WIPO Pay Current Account at WIPO WIPO Assemblies Standing Committees Calendar of Meetings WIPO Official Documents Development Agenda Technical Assistance IP Training Institutions COVID-19 Support National IP Strategies Policy & Legislative Advice Cooperation Hub Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC) Technology Transfer Inventor Assistance Program WIPO GREEN WIPO's Pat-INFORMED Accessible Books Consortium WIPO for Creators WIPO ALERT Member States Observers Director General Activities by Unit External Offices Job Vacancies Procurement Results & Budget Financial Reporting Oversight

Project on Patent Legal Status Data

Patent legal status data are an important component of patent information. 

Such data are used to determine whether:

  • examination of a patent application is still pending; 
  • the application has been withdrawn or was rejected;
  • a patent has been granted and is still valid; or
  • a granted patent has expired, lapsed or been revoked.

As such, they play an essential role in, e.g., technology transfer since they answer the question which technology is still protected and where, or whether it will soon become freely available to the public (described as entry into “the public domain” in expert terms).

Legal status data need to be up-to-date to allow correct conclusions. However, given that the legal status of patents is linked to legal events or actions, the status changes over time and therefore poses particular problems to the availability and reliability of up-to-date information.

WIPO has the goal to narrow a knowledge gap in the world and to develop an enabling infrastructure for promoting technology transfer through effective use of patent information. WIPO has therefore launched activities for improving worldwide availability, reliability and comparability of patent legal status data, e.g. to further develop patent legal status databases and widen the participation of countries in data sharing.

Study on availability, reliability and comparability of patent legal status data

In the context of WIPO Development Agenda project Intellectual Property and the Public Domain, WIPO has prepared a study on availability, reliability and comparability of patent legal status data (“feasibility study”). It is planned to present the results of this study to the session of the Committee on Development and Intellectual Property in fall 2011.

Survey on availability of patent legal status data

The most prominent and direct sources of legal status information are national patent registers or national patent gazettes or bulletins. In order to investigate the availability of such data for the above study, WIPO has issued Questionnaire C.N 3159 to its member Offices: Circular letter and questionnaire.

Replies from 87 offices have been received and evaluated: