Microsoft is committed to responsible intellectual property management, including the creation of a healthy patent ecosystem around the world that promotes and encourages innovation. One component of a well-functioning patent system is clarity around what entity is the real party in interest for a particular patent. Increased transparency around ownership reduces the likelihood of opportunistic behavior and gamesmanship by patent holders and helps facilitate licensing.

To demonstrate our commitment to transparency, published below is a list that includes to the best of our knowledge all issued patents that Microsoft currently owns, either directly or through subsidiaries, along with a tool for assisting in review of the list. The list includes worldwide issued patents that Microsoft has filed and prosecuted, as well as patents that we have acquired over time. In addition, the list contains some patents that have lapsed but that form a part of our historical portfolio.

Microsoft generated the list of patent numbers. The related information (Patent Title, Region and Assignee) was procured from the Thomson Reuters IP database. Please note that the list may not include all acquired patents as of the date of posting, as the process of completing our intake of acquired patents takes some time. We plan to update the list periodically to add newly issued and acquired patents. For more information visit the Frequently Asked Questions page.

You can find more information about the patents in the list in a variety of places. For a US patent, start at the US Patent and Trademark Office’s general Patent Search home page and navigate to their Full-Text and Image Database, or view additional information using Public PAIR. A good resource for patents from many countries is the European Patent Office’s Espacenet Patent Search site (which includes a training course). For more information about a patent from another country, contact or visit the web site of the patent-granting authority in that location.

Compiling and updating this information is a non-trivial exercise. Microsoft has used and will continue to use our best efforts to compile and make available this information, but nonetheless some errors may exist. If you notice any errors, please email us at MSPatent@microsoft.com and we will correct them in a timely fashion.

In order to facilitate review and analysis of the list, we are publishing it in two ways.