ecommerce-patent-legal-status

name	ecommerce.patent-legal-status
version	1.0.0
description	Check patent legal status, validity, expiration, and status events. Triggers: expired patent, still in force, enforceable, maintenance fees, when does it expire. Use for status/validity, not claim scope or image-based risk.
allowed-tools	["Bash","Read","Write"]
metadata	{"requires":{"apis":["nexscope"]}}

IMPORTANT — Working Directory: All scripts in this skill MUST be executed with the working directory set to the absolute path of the directory containing this SKILL.md file (the skill root directory). Always cd into this directory before running any command. Do NOT use relative paths or shell shortcuts like ~ in paths, as they may not be resolved by the execution environment.

Patent Legal Status v1.0.0

Core Question

Is this patent still active, enforceable, expired, or affected by legal events?

Is this patent still valid?

Query patent legal status (valid/invalid/expired).

Clarify or Infer Before Querying

• If patent ID/publication number is missing, ask for it first.
• Clarify target country/authority if the patent has family members.
• Do not assume a patent is enforceable just because a related family member exists.

Differs From / Not Applicable

• Use patent-claim-analyzer for what the patent covers.
• Use patent-family-explorer for country/family coverage.
• Use patent-risk-checker for product-level risk screening.
• Use this skill for expiration, enforceability, maintenance, and legal events.

Workflow

1. Confirm patent/publication ID and authority/region.
2. Fetch current legal status and event history.
3. Identify active, expired, abandoned, pending, or uncertain status.
4. Return enforceability caveats and next verification steps.

Usage

# Single patent
python3 scripts/patent_legal_status.py '{"patentNumber": "US11234567B2"}'

# Multiple patents
python3 scripts/patent_legal_status.py '{"patentNumber": "US11234567B2,CN115000000A,EP4000000A1"}'

# By patent ID
python3 scripts/patent_legal_status.py '{"patentId": "abc123,def456"}'

⚠️ MANDATORY: Charts & Display Rules

1. Generate charts by default for full analytical reports — use --chart with an output directory unless the user asks for a quick text-only result or chart data is unavailable.
2. Send generated charts to the user — when charts are created, share all chart PNGs immediately.
3. All chart styling is driven by ecommerce_chart_helpers.py which reads from chart_style.json (derived from references/display-rules.md). Do NOT hardcode colors in scripts.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
patentNumber	string	Yes*	Publication number(s), comma-separated
patentId	string	Yes*	Patent ID(s), comma-separated

*One of patentNumber or patentId is required.

Legal Status Types

Simple Status (simpleLegalStatus)

Status	Meaning	Icon
Active	Patent is valid and enforceable	✅
Inactive	Patent is no longer valid	❌
Pending	Application under examination	⏳
Undetermined	Status not confirmed	❓
PCT designated period	PCT application in designated period	🌐
PCT designated expiration	PCT designated period expired	🌐

Detailed Status (legalStatus)

Status	Description
Published	Application published
Examining	Under substantive examination
Granted	Patent rights granted
Expired	Term expired
Abandoned	Voluntarily or deemed abandoned
Withdrawn	Application withdrawn
Rejected	Application rejected
Revoked	Patent revoked
Non-Payment	Lapsed due to non-payment
Ceased	Rights terminated

Legal Events (eventStatus)

Event	Risk Level	Description
Litigation	🔴 HIGH	Patent involved in lawsuit
Transfer	🟡 MEDIUM	Ownership changed
License	🟡 MEDIUM	Licensed to third party
Pledge	🟡 MEDIUM	Used as collateral
Opposition	🟠	Third party opposition filed
Re-examination	🟠	Under re-examination
Invalid-procedure	🟠	Invalidation proceeding

Output Structure

The output will be a structured markdown report, following this format:

Patent Legal Status Report: [Patent Number(s) or ID(s)]

---

1. Executive Summary

• Query Date: [query_date]
• Total Patents Queried: [total_queried]
• Active Patents: [summary.active]
• Inactive Patents: [summary.inactive]
• Pending Patents: [summary.pending]
• Patents with Litigation Risk: [summary.with_litigation]
• Core Insight: This report provides a quick overview of the legal validity and potential risks of the queried patents.

2. Detailed Patent Status (Per Patent) (For each queried patent, its detailed status is displayed)

Patent Number: [patent_number]

• Simple Status: [simple_status] [status_icon]
• Is Valid: [is_valid]
• Detailed Status Events:
  • [detailed_status[0]]
  • ... (List all detailed status events)
• Legal Events:
  • [legal_events[0].event] (Risk Level: [legal_events[0].risk_level], Description: [legal_events[0].description])
  • ... (List all legal events)
• Has Risk Events: [has_risk_events]
• Status Date: [status_date]

3. Summary of Queried Patents

• Status Distribution:

Status	Count
Active	[summary.active]
Inactive	[summary.inactive]
Pending	[summary.pending]
With Litigation	[summary.with_litigation]

4. Attached Visualizations

• Status Distribution (1_status_distribution.png)
• Risk Events (2_risk_events.png)

Quick Reference

Question	Check
Can I sell this product?	simple_status = Active → ⚠️ Risk
Is the patent expired?	simple_status = Inactive
Is it being enforced?	legal_events contains
Who owns it now?	Use Bibliography API

Common Use Cases

1. Before Sourcing

Check if competitor patents are still valid before copying designs.

2. Due Diligence

Verify patent status before business deals or investments.

3. FTO Analysis

Determine freedom to operate in a market.

4. Monitoring

Track status changes of patents you're watching.

Batch Query Example

# Check multiple competitor patents
python3 scripts/patent_legal_status.py '{"patentNumber": "USD900000S,USD901000S,USD902000S,USD903000S"}'

Charts Generated

Chart	Description	File
Status Distribution	Patent status breakdown	1_status_distribution.png
Risk Events	Upcoming expiry / lapse events	2_risk_events.png

Limitations

• Maximum 100 patents per query
• Some recent status changes may not be reflected immediately
• PCT applications show special status codes
• Status interpretation varies by jurisdiction

Data Sources

Source	Endpoint	Data
Zhihuiya	/api/v1/tools/research/zhihuiya/legalStatus	Simple status, detailed status, legal events
Zhihuiya	/api/v1/tools/research/zhihuiya/simpleBibliography	Patent title, type, country

Coverage: 170M+ patents from 150+ countries. Comprehensive litigation, transfer, license, and pledge event records included.

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Description
NEXSCOPE_PROXY_BASE	Yes	NexScope proxy base URL
NEXSCOPE_API_KEY	Yes	NexScope proxy API key

References

• USPTO Status Codes: https://www.uspto.gov
• EPO Legal Status: https://www.epo.org