Legal Status Searching
If you are looking to search Legal Status codes and descriptions then LSE - Legal Status Events is field to use. LSE allows you to search by PRS code and also restrict it by country. The following examples explain how to search within the LSE field:
| LSE:DE | matches all legal events in DE. EP and PCT records that face a legal event in their national phase DE records are also matched. |
| LSE:(DE 2004) | matches all legal events in DE in the year 2004 |
| LSE:(DE wd5 R123) | matches DE and PRS Code R123 |
| LSE:((DE 2004)wd5 R123) | matches records that have PRS code R123 in DE in year 2004 |
| LSE:((DE wd1 [20040101 TO 20101231]) wd5 R123) | matches records that have PRS code Rs123 in DE between 2004 to 2010 |
| LSE:Revoked | matches all records that have “Revoked” mentioned anywhere in their legal status IMPORTANT: PRS Code descriptions are not always present in legal status definitions. So it is always advisable to search by PRS Code. |
| LSE:(DE wd10 Revoked) | matches all records that have Revoked mentioned in their legal events for DE |
| LSE:((DE 2004)wd10 Revoked) | Same as above but only for events in year 2004 |
NOTE: In Field Search form, next to the LSE field you will also see an LSE Query Builder icon, which makes it easy for you to construct advanced LSE queries. It is recommended that you use the LSE Query builder as much as possible.
In addition to LSE, PatSeer also includes two calculated fields- LSC and LSSE
LSC or Current Legal Status is the current status of the record as calculated by PatSeer when going through its details. Every time new legal status data is received the LSC gets updated for all applicable records. For each record LSC can only one of the following values:
Name | Valid Values | Description of Value |
Current Legal Status - LSC | Inactive – Withdrawn / Surrendered | If a record has been voluntarily given up |
| Active – Granted / Applied | A granted patent or a pending application | |
| Inactive - Nonpayment | If a record has expired due to non-payment of maintenance fee | |
| Inactive - Opposition / Revoked | If a record has been revoked or has become inactive due to opposition | |
| Inactive - Rejected / Refused / Suspended | If an application has been rejected prior to grant. | |
| SPC Active - Granted / Applied | If an SPC is Active or has been applied for the record | |
| SPC Inactive - Expired / Rejected | If the SPC has expired of the SPC application was rejected | |
| Inactive – Ceased / Lapsed / Expired | If a granted patent has expired at end of its duration |
LSSE or Legal Status Other Significant Events captures other events in the life of the record that do not necessarily affect the status of the record but may be important to a searcher. This field is also updated regularly for all records where legal status updates are received. For each record this field can have one or more of the following values:
Name | Valid Values | Description of Value |
Legal Status Other Significant Events - LSSE | Opposition | If the record has faced an opposition. |
| Scope Limited | If a record has been limited in scope for example if claims have been removed or revoked. | |
| Inactive in Designated State | Not Active in one or more Designated States - If a EP,PCT record has faced cancellation/expiry/ withdrawal/abandonment in one or more designated states. | |
| Assignment | If the record has been reassigned to another entity. | |
| Collateral | If the record has been given as security to a bank. |
In field search if you press a spacebar in the LSC or LSSE fields, then you will see a drop down with a list of the valid values for you to select from.