Intellectual Property Transparency

Introduction

Innovation depends on clarity, both in technology and in ownership. As organizations accelerate innovation, understanding the patents that define these systems has never been more critical. Transparent patent data reduces legal uncertainty, encourages collaboration, and strengthens trust across the supply chain.

CycloneDX has a structured, machine-readable way to represent patents. Developed in direct collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), CycloneDX ensures compatibility and alignment with the ST.96 international patent data standard.

Patents in CycloneDX aren’t limited to software components, they apply to all component types, services, and formulation workflows. This means patents can represent protected technology in code, cloud services, hardware, or even specific steps in a production process.

Highlighted fields

PropertyUsage Description
patentNumberThe unique number assigned to the granted patent by the issuing authority.
applicationNumberThe unique number assigned to a patent application when it is filed with a patent office. It is used to identify the specific application and track its progress through the examination process.
jurisdictionThe jurisdiction or patent office where the priority application was filed, specified using WIPO ST.3 codes.
patentLegalStatusIndicates the current legal status of the patent or patent application, based on the WIPO ST.27 standard.
patentAssigneeA collection of organisations or individuals to whom the patent rights are assigned. This supports joint ownership and allows for flexible representation of both corporate entities and individual inventors.
priorityApplicationThe priorityApplication contains the essential data necessary to identify and reference an earlier patent filing for priority rights. In line with WIPO ST.96 guidelines, it includes the jurisdiction (office code), application number, and filing date-the three key elements that uniquely specify the priority application in a global patent context.
externalReferencesAn external reference to the authoritative patent information.
This example defines two related patents for an Efficient Data Processing Algorithm filed in the US and EU. Each includes key metadata, legal status, and external references, enabling global traceability and alignment with WIPO ST.96 for verification through official patent offices. Refer to Global Patent Lineage for details on how to associate two or more identical patents into a patent family.

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,
  "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" ]
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Authoritative Guide