2.6.3.4 Statements of Devolution

Date Published

Explicit statements of devolution are not required.

However, where explicit statements are provided or it is apparent from the file that a line of devolution of title from an inventor to an applicant is incomplete, an objection should be raised that the applicant’s entitlement is not clear.  

If an assignment of an invention is made to a firm, all the partners of the firm may be granted the patent. It therefore follows that if the actual inventor assigns the invention to a firm, and the firm assigns the invention to another person, the latter person may be granted a patent for the invention. Thus, no objection is taken if a firm forms an intermediate link in a sequence of assignments.