Patent Assertions

Introduction

Transparency in ownership is the foundation of trust. When organizations clearly declare which patents they own or license, they build confidence in their products and partnerships. Clear assertions reduce disputes, improve compliance, and make collaboration safer for everyone in the supply chain.

CycloneDX supports patent assertions, a formalized way to declare ownership, license rights, or exclusive usage of patents.

Patent assertions in CycloneDX apply broadly across components, services, and formulation processes, and even to specific steps within those processes. This allows precise modeling of ownership or licensing at the point where innovation occurs, whether in code, infrastructure, or a manufacturing pipeline.

Patent Assertion Types

NameDescription
ownershipThe manufacturer asserts ownership of the patent or patent family.
licenseThe manufacturer asserts they have a license to use the patent or patent family.
third-party-claimA third party has asserted a claim or potential infringement against the manufacturer’s component or service.
standards-inclusionThe patent is part of a standard essential patent (SEP) portfolio relevant to the component or service.
prior-artThe manufacturer asserts the patent or patent family as prior art that invalidates another patent or claim.
exclusive-rightsThe manufacturer asserts exclusive rights granted through a licensing agreement.
non-assertionThe manufacturer asserts they will not enforce the patent or patent family against certain uses or users.
research-or-evaluationThe patent or patent family is being used under a research or evaluation license.
This example demonstrates how patent assertions can communicate ownership and licensing rights for both individual patents and those within a family. The first assertion declares ownership of a U.S. patent that belongs to a defined patent family, establishing clear lineage and provenance. The second assertion identifies a licensed European patent that stands on its own, separate from any family. Together, these assertions show how ownership, licensing, and exclusivity can be represented with precision and transparency across different intellectual property relationships.

Examples

{
  "$schema": "http://cyclonedx.org/schema/bom-1.7.schema.json",
  "bomFormat": "CycloneDX",
  "specVersion": "1.7",
  "serialNumber": "urn:uuid:123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000",
  "version": 1,
  "components": [
    {
      "bom-ref": "component-1",
      "type": "library",
      "manufacturer": {
        "bom-ref": "org-acme-inc",
        "name": "Acme Inc",
        "url": [ "https://example.com" ]
      },
      "name": "High-Efficiency Processor",
      "version": "1.0",
      "patentAssertions": [
        {
          "bom-ref": "patent-assertion-1",
          "assertionType": "ownership",
          "asserter": "org-acme-inc",
          "patentRefs": [ "patent-1" ],
          "notes": "Covers the core processing architecture for advanced computation."
        },
        {
          "bom-ref": "patent-assertion-2",
          "assertionType": "license",
          "asserter": "org-acme-inc",
          "patentRefs": [ "patent-3" ],
          "notes": "Licensed for use in North America."
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "services": [
    {
      "bom-ref": "service-1",
      "name": "Data Analysis Service",
      "patentAssertions": [
        {
          "bom-ref": "patent-assertion-3",
          "assertionType": "exclusive-rights",
          "asserter": {
            "name": "Partner Company",
            "contact": [
              {
                "name": "Sam Smith",
                "phone": "800-555-1212"
              }
            ]
          },
          "patentRefs": [ "patent-2" ],
          "notes": "Exclusive rights for machine learning integration."
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "definitions": {
    "patents": [
      {
        "bom-ref": "patent-1",
        "patentNumber": "US1234567890",
        "applicationNumber": "12345",
        "jurisdiction": "US",
        "publicationNumber": "US-12345",
        "title": "Efficient Data Processing Algorithm",
        "abstract": "A novel system and method for improving data processing efficiency.",
        "filingDate": "2021-01-15",
        "grantDate": "2022-06-01",
        "patentExpirationDate": "2042-01-15",
        "patentLegalStatus": "in-force",
        "patentAssignee": [
          {
            "name": "Tech Innovators Inc.",
            "url": [ "https://techinnovators.com" ]
          }
        ],
        "externalReferences": [
          {
            "type": "patent",
            "url": "https://uspto.gov/patent/US12345678B1",
            "comment": "Official USPTO page for the patent."
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "bom-ref": "patent-2",
        "patentNumber": "EU1234567890",
        "applicationNumber": "12345",
        "jurisdiction": "EU",
        "priorityApplication": {
          "applicationNumber": "US1234567890",
          "jurisdiction": "US",
          "filingDate": "2021-01-15"
        },
        "publicationNumber": "EU-12345",
        "title": "Efficient Data Processing Algorithm",
        "abstract": "A novel system and method for improving data processing efficiency.",
        "filingDate": "2021-01-15",
        "grantDate": "2022-06-01",
        "patentExpirationDate": "2042-01-15",
        "patentLegalStatus": "in-force",
        "patentAssignee": [
          {
            "name": "Tech Innovators Inc.",
            "url": [ "https://techinnovators.com" ]
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "bom-ref": "patent-3",
        "patentNumber": "EP987654321A1",
        "jurisdiction": "EP",
        "title": "Data Processing Optimisation",
        "abstract": "An optimised approach to data processing for scalable systems.",
        "filingDate": "2021-02-10",
        "grantDate": "2023-03-15",
        "patentExpirationDate": "2043-02-10",
        "patentLegalStatus": "in-force",
        "patentAssignee": [
          {
            "name": "Jane Smith",
            "email": "[email protected]"
          }
        ],
        "externalReferences": [
          {
            "type": "patent",
            "url": "https://euipo.europa.eu/ep987654321A1",
            "comment": "Official EUIPO page for the patent."
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "bom-ref": "patent-family-1",
        "familyId": "PF-2023001",
        "priorityApplication": {
          "applicationNumber": "12345",
          "jurisdiction": "US",
          "filingDate": "2021-01-15"
        },
        "members": ["patent-1", "patent-2"],
        "externalReferences": [
          {
            "type": "patent-family",
            "url": "https://uspto.gov/patent-family-5678",
            "comment": "Official record of the patent family."
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Authoritative Guide