Non Practising Entity (NPE) data

NPE stands for Non-Practising Entity: a patent-holding organisation that does not manufacture or produce goods. The following can be applicable under this definition:

• Company
• Individual
• Law Firm
• University
• Government
• Research Organisation
• Consortium

Cipher will tag instances of litigation instigated by an NPE which can refer to any of the above, including 'patent trolls'. Data related to NPE activity is provided by RPX. More information about RPX can be found here.

Organisation Sets are a list of organisations that allow you to instantly populate a set of organisations to a Cipher report. We have Cipher curated Organisation sets available within the platform for 'All NPE's' and also for 'All PAE's'. Data is also provided by RPX. Please note that the 'ALL PAE's' organisation set Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs), are businesses that acquire patents from third parties and seek to generate revenue by asserting them against alleged infringers. This set does not include Universities or Academic Institutes.