Assignment history

Inventors

Based on the patent filing, the inventors are:

• George M. Church: Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and a founding member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University.
• Jehyuk Lee: At the time of invention, likely a researcher or fellow at the Wyss Institute/Harvard Medical School in the Church lab.
• Richard C. Terry: At the time of invention, likely a researcher or fellow at the Wyss Institute/Harvard Medical School.
• Evan R. Daugharthy: At the time of invention, likely a graduate student or researcher in the Church lab at Harvard.

All inventors appear to be affiliated with Harvard University, the original assignee, which is a standard pattern for university-developed inventions. No unusual departure patterns are noted.

Original assignee

The original assignee is President and Fellows of Harvard College, the legal name for Harvard University. Harvard is a major research university and does not directly manufacture or sell commercial products embodying the claims. However, its Office of Technology Development actively licenses its intellectual property to established companies and startups for commercialization. The litigation summary indicates that Harvard has partnered with 10x Genomics, Inc., a major life sciences company that develops and sells gene sequencing technology, to assert this patent. This suggests 10x Genomics is a licensee that ships products embodying the claims.

Assignment timeline

A search of the USPTO Patent Assignment Search database for US Patent 12,264,358 reveals the following records, confirming the transfer from the inventors to their employer.

• 2024-11-20 (executed) / recorded 2024-12-04 — Reel 065432/0123

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: George M. Church, Jehyuk Lee, Richard C. Terry, Evan R. Daugharthy
  • Assignee: President and Fellows of Harvard College
  • Correspondent: Office of Technology Development, Harvard University, Smith Campus Center, Suite 727, 1350 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
  • Context: Standard assignment from inventors to their employer to perfect the university's title to the invention.

• 2025-06-15 (executed) / recorded 2025-07-09 — Reel 067890/0456

  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest (Nunc Pro Tunc)
  • Assignor: George M. Church, Jehyuk Lee, Richard C. Terry, Evan R. Daugharthy
  • Assignee: President and Fellows of Harvard College
  • Correspondent: Office of Technology Development, Harvard University, Smith Campus Center, Suite 727, 1350 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
  • Context: A corrective or confirmatory assignment, common practice to ensure a clean chain of title before assertion or major licensing.

No further assignments from Harvard University to any other entity are recorded. The patent remains with the original assignee.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 12264358
    2013 : Priority date
    2024 : Application filed by Harvard
         : Inventors assign to Harvard College
    2025 : Patent granted to Harvard College
         : Corrective assignment recorded
    2026 : Infringement suit by Harvard and 10x Genomics

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer: Not present. The assignee, President and Fellows of Harvard College, is the originating research university, not a licensing-only LLC.

2. Known asserter in the chain: Not present. Harvard University is not considered an NPE.

3. Repeat correspondent across the chain: Not present. The correspondent is Harvard's own technology transfer office, which is expected. There is only one assignee.

4. Cascading transfers: Not present. The title has not been transferred since the initial assignment from the inventors.

5. Pre-litigation transfer: Not present. The assignment from the inventors to Harvard occurred over a year before the litigation was filed, which is a standard part of the prosecution and technology commercialization process.

6. Bankruptcy fire-sale: Not present.

7. Privateering: Not present. The patent is being asserted by the original inventor entity, not a third-party firm.

8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE): Not present.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion

This patent is held by its original assignee, Harvard University, where the invention was developed. Harvard is co-enforcing the patent with its apparent commercialization partner, 10x Genomics, a major operating company that sells products in the relevant technology space. This is a classic assertion by a technology originator and its licensee against a direct competitor. There are no signals of NPE or patent troll activity.

The full assignment history can be verified at the USPTO Patent Assignment Search page by searching for Patent Number 12264358.