Legal information – legal event – legal status: What is the difference?
Information
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Learn differences between the terms “legal event” and “legal status”, and discover where to find all types of legal information
Legal information “hidden” in bibliographic data
The bibliographic data is the very first information we encounter when looking at a patent or patent application. It’s much like looking at someone’s passport: we can see where it was filed (country code), when it was filed (application date), its “parents” (priorities) and its ”siblings” (published as).
However, there is much more to bibliographic data than meets the eye. It can also reveal a great deal of important legal information, especially from elements such as kind codes.
Let’s take a look at this example of a Japanese patent document (see Fig.1).
Fig. 1: Bibliographic data of Japanese document JP7387945: What legal information can we learn from the kind code?
The publication number is followed by the kind code B1, indicating that the patent was granted and published just four months after the application was filed, and there is no earlier Japanese publication on record.
As you may know, a patent application is usually published twice:
First, 18 months after filing. The publication of the application is marked with the kind code A (the first letter in the Alphabet) and discloses the invention, so it can be searched as prior art.
Second, if the patent has been granted, it is again published and marked as a B document (the second letter), so that one can understand the scope of the claims in force.
However, you can see something unusual in our example: the patent was granted and published before the usual 18-month publication could even occur. This points to accelerated examination.
As it was the first publication for this application, Japan – uniquely among jurisdictions– marked it with an additional “1”.
Stories told by legal events
What about the current legal status of the Japanese document? To find out, let’s take a look at the “Legal events” tab (see Fig. 2).
Fig. 2: Legal events of JP7387945 – what is the current legal status?
The legal events reflect the various procedural steps during the grant procedure and post-grant stage. In our example, we can see events such as the reasons for requesting accelerated examination, decision to grant and the first annual fee payment.
Each legal event is bound to a specific date, such as the date fees are paid. But to understand what this event means for the life of the patent application or patent, we first need to learn a little more about the respective jurisdiction.
Legal status: understanding legal events within the life of a patent and the respective jurisdiction
In our example, the most recent annual fee was already paid two-and-a-half years ago. You may be wondering, “Is this patent still in force?”. Or put into different words: What is the current legal status of this Japanese patent?
Unlike legal events, which refer to individual points in time, a legal status refers to a time period and not a single, specific date. Usually, the start of a legal status is marked by a legal event.
Our example shows the annual fee payment as the most recent event. But as it is called an “annual” fee, shouldn’t these payments be being done on a yearly basis? And if yes, wouldn’t that mean that the patent in question is no longer in force?
Again, we will need to review Japanese Patent Law, which stipulates that at the time of grant, the first three years of annual fees must be paid as a lump sum. So, if a lump sum payment covering three years was made in 2023, and we are now in 2025, the Japanese patent is indeed still in force.
Final thoughts
Bibliographic data and legal events offer more than just dates and document numbers, especially when interpreted with an understanding of national patent laws. This knowledge allows us to assess procedural history, analyse the grant process and determine the current legal status, so to understand whether a patent is currently enforceable—all vital insights for patent searchers.
Keywords: Legal event, Legal status, INPADOC
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