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Reviewing a Confirmatory License

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To review a Confirmatory License (CL), complete the following steps:

  1. Open the Patent Report with the CL awaiting acceptance
  2. Download and review the Confirmatory License
  3. Approve or reject the Confirmatory License

1. Open the Patent Report with the CL awaiting acceptance

When a Confirmatory License is awaiting review, you'll receive an Alert Notification on your Dashboard. Click on the Patent Docket number to open the Patent Record.

Dashboard screenshot.

2. Download and review the Confirmatory License

Click on the "Click Here to Download" link to save the Confirmatory License to a local directory. Review the document to ensure all criteria are met.

Confirmatory license download screenshot.

CL Review Guidance

When reviewing a CL, the agency should look for the following:

  1. The information (application and/or patent number, filing date, etc.) for the CL uploaded matches the information listed in iEdison for this application/patent.  
  2. Inventors and an Invention Title are present on the CL. This information should match what is in iEdison, but an exact match is not required as inventors and the title may change throughout patent prosecution.
  3. All grants/contracts (in correct format as listed in iEdison) reported in iEdison are listed in the CL and vice versa. Please be sure to check the grants/contracts listed for non-primary funding agencies as well.  
  4. If a CL is uploaded that was NOT generated out of iEdison, check the language to the iEdison template to ensure that the language of the uploaded license is consistent with the template.
  5. The Organization and Signatory information fields are completed.
  6. The CL is dated and signed. Official electronic signatures are generally accepted, though simply putting their name through slashes ("/J. Doe/") is generally not accepted.  
  7. The date on the CL uploaded matched the Execution Date entered into iEdison. This is unique to the new system and previously uploaded CLs may not have an Execution Date entered in iEdison.

3. Accept or reject the Confirmatory License

Reviewing confirmatory license screenshot.

If the CL meets all criteria, click the "Accept" button.

A notification will be sent to the awardee informing them of the acceptance.

If the CL fails to meet any of the criteria, click the "Reject" button. A popup window will require you to check all reasons for the rejection including any comments. (A list of reasons for rejection with explanations are provided in the next section.)

It's recommended you also include a written explanation in the "Comments" box so the organization fully understands how to remedy the issue.

Once you have selected the reason for the rejection, click the "Reject" button on the popup window to confirm.

Reject confirmatory license screenshot.

A notification will be sent to the awardee that their confirmatory license was rejected.  The rejection reason you selected and your comments will be displayed in the patent record.

Confirmatory License Rejection Reasons:

 

Reason

Description

Patent Number or Application Number does not match.

The application or patent number in iEdison differs from the number listed on the CL.

Patent Number or Application Number is missing.

There is no application or patent number on the CL.

To ensure proper Recordation with the USPTO, please re-submit a signed Confirmatory License that lists only one patent or one patent application number.

Multiple patent titles or patent numbers are listed on the CL.

Grant Number does not match.

One or more grant or contract number(s) in iEdison differ(s) from the grant or contract number listed on the CL.

Grant Number is missing.

One or more grant or contract number(s) are not listed on the CL.

No inventor listed on license.

There is no inventor listed on the CL.

Invention Title is missing.

There is no invention title listed on the CL.

U.S. Filing/Issue date is missing.

There is no filing or issued date listed on the CL.

U.S. Filing/Issue date does not match.

The filing or issued date listed in iEdison differs from the filing or issued date listed on the CL.

Signature date is missing.

The signature on the CL is not dated.

Name of Grantee/Contractor Official is missing.

There is no Grantee/Contractor Official name listed on the CL.

Grantee/Contractor Organization name is missing.

There is no Grantee/Contractor Organization name listed on the CL.

Document submitted is not a Confirmatory License.

The user uploaded the wrong document.

Other.

Explain your reasons for rejecting the CL in the "Comments" field.
Created March 23, 2022, Updated August 8, 2022