What happens to a US patent when the owner dies?

Ownership passes to the heirs, but the transfer needs to be formally recorded with the USPTO using specific supporting documents — a death certificate and an affidavit of heirship (or declaration of succession) at minimum.

Does the death certificate need to be translated if it's in Korean?

Yes — the USPTO requires an English translation, and given the legal weight of a death certificate in an ownership-transfer filing, a certified translation with a 번역확인증명서 is what gives the examiner confidence in its accuracy.

Do I need an assignment document too, or just the death certificate?

Only if the patent is being transferred to someone other than the heir themselves — an heir who registers the patent in their own name and stops there doesn't need a separate assignment document; one who plans to transfer it onward does.

Can you help with the affidavit of heirship itself, or only the translation?

The affidavit is typically prepared with an attorney's help; this office handles the certified translation of it (and the death certificate) plus coordination with the US patent firm for the actual USPTO filing.

Inheriting or transferring a US patent after a death?

Certified translation of a death certificate and supporting documents for transferring US patent ownership to an heir with USPTO — plus certified translation of the affidavit of heirship and assignment document if the patent is being assigned onward.

USPTO-Ready Death Certificate & Assignment Translation

When the owner of a US patent passes away, ownership doesn't simply disappear with them — it passes to their heirs, and formally recording that transfer with the USPTO (US Patent and Trademark Office) requires a specific set of documents, translated and certified if the underlying paperwork is in Korean.

Documents the USPTO typically requires

Death certificate — official proof of the patent owner's death
Affidavit of heirship (or declaration of succession) — identifies the heirs and establishes their inheritance right to the patent, usually prepared with the help of an attorney
Assignment document — needed if the heir goes on to transfer the patent to another individual or entity, whether immediately or after first registering ownership in their own name

Why certified translation matters here

If these documents were originally issued in Korean, the USPTO requires an English translation before it will act on the ownership change — and for a document like a death certificate, translation accuracy carries real legal weight, not just administrative formality.

How this office handles it

Certified translation of the death certificate (and any other Korean-language supporting document) to the standard the USPTO expects.
A 번역확인증명서 (translation verification certificate) issued alongside the translation, confirming it matches the original — this is what gives the USPTO examiner confidence in the submitted translation during review.
Coordination with US patent firms as the applicant's point of contact, alongside the foreign IP filing coordination service, for the assignment/transfer filing itself.