Editing Assignment (law) (section)

===Intellectual property rights===
{{See also|Transfer (patent)}}

Ownership of intellectual property, including [[patent]]s, [[copyright]]s, and [[trademark]]s, may be assigned, but special conditions attach to the assignment of patents and trademarks. In the [[United States]], assignment of a patent is governed by [[statute]], {{USCode|35|261}}. Patent rights are assignable by an "instrument in writing". Title in a patent can also be transferred as a result of other financial transactions, such as a [[merger]] or a [[takeover]], or as a result of operation of law, such as in an [[inheritance]] process, or in a [[bankruptcy]].  An assignment of a patent can be recorded with the [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]]. Although such recording is not required, if an assignment is not recorded at the USPTO within three months or prior to a subsequent assignment, the assignment will be void against a subsequent assignee without notice of the earlier, unrecorded assignment.

With respect to a trademark, the owner of the mark may not transfer ownership of the mark without transferring the [[Goodwill (accounting)|goodwill]] associated with the mark.

Companies sometimes request from employees that they assign all intellectual property they create while under the employment of the company. This is typically done within an Employment Agreement, but is sometimes done through a specific agreement called Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreement (PIIA).