Finding: When Goldberg First Used His Name Instead of Litman on Filings

Goal: Identify the earliest patent/filing where Joshua Goldberg's name replaced Richard Litman's (e.g., on Line 74, assignments, etc.).

Summary of Current Evidence

Assignments

All reviewed assignments show Litman as correspondent and Goldberg as submitter.
None show Goldberg as correspondent — so we have no assignment-based "first date" for Goldberg-as-correspondent.

KFU 2024 Patents

467 KFU patents have Litman on Line 74 (confirmed from kfu_2024_litman_attorney_patents.csv).
~164 KFU patents (631 − 467) would have Goldberg or another attorney on Line 74.
We have the Litman list but not a curated list of KFU patents with Goldberg on Line 74.

goldberg_post_2024-07-21_patents.csv

Contains ~1,162 patents; filename suggests search for patents after 7/21/2024.
Earliest 2024 date in file: 2024-07-23 (e.g., 12041933, 12042196, 12043608, 12043609, etc.).
File has no assignee column — cannot filter for KFU.
9 patents appear in both the KFU Litman list and this Goldberg file (possible co-attorney or different search criteria).
Limitation: If the search was limited to post-7/21/2024, we cannot infer the true earliest Goldberg patent from this file alone.

How to Find the Answer

1. PatentsView API (Automated) — ⚠️ RETIRED

The PatentsView API endpoint api.patentsview.org/patents/query is permanently retired as of 2026-03-16 — returns HTTP 410 Gone. The script scripts/find_earliest_goldberg_patent.py will fail. Use the manual USPTO Patent Public Search method (Section 2) instead.

~~Run the script (requires API key):~~ ~~python scripts/find_earliest_goldberg_patent.py~~

2. USPTO Patent Public Search (Manual)

URL: https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/

Query for earliest KFU patent with Goldberg on Line 74:

("King Faisal University").AS. AND (Goldberg).ATTY. AND (Joshua).ATTY. AND @pd>=20240101

Export results, sort by issue date ascending.
The first patent in the list = earliest KFU patent with Goldberg on Line 74.

Query for earliest Goldberg patent (any assignee):

(Goldberg).ATTY. AND (Joshua).ATTY. AND @pd>=20240101

Export, sort by issue date ascending.
First patent = earliest patent with Goldberg on Line 74.

3. USPTO Assignment Center

Search for assignments where the correspondent block shows Goldberg instead of Litman.
If the interface supports correspondent-name search, look for "Goldberg" or "Joshua Goldberg".
Earliest such assignment = first filing where Goldberg replaced Litman as correspondent.

Confirmed Finding (USPTO Patent Public Search)

Earliest KFU patent with Goldberg on Line 74: US 11,858,934 B1 — 2024-01-02

Field	Value
Patent	US 11,858,934 B1
Issue Date	2024-01-02
Title	Substituted Pyrido[4',3':5,6]pyrimido[1,2-a]indoles As CK2 Inhibitors
Assignee	King Faisal University
Application	18/223,002
Date Filed	2023-07-17
Inventors	Tratrat; Christophe, Haroun; Michelyne (Al-Ahsa, SA)

Query used: ("King Faisal University").AS. AND (Goldberg).ATTY. AND (Joshua).ATTY. AND @pd>=20240101 — 212 results.

Full export: output/KFU_GOLDBERG_PATENTS_212_RESULTS.csv (from USPTO Patent Public Search, Mar 15 2026). Export sorted newest-first; row 183 = earliest by issue date. US 11,858,934 B1 (2024-01-02) is the only patent with Date Published in January 2024 — definitively the earliest KFU patent with Goldberg on Line 74.

Significance: Goldberg's name appears on Line 74 of this patent. Per the Line 74 control inference, this demonstrates he had control over the attorney designation by January 2, 2024 — the earliest confirmed date for KFU.

All-assignees search (Goldberg + Joshua, any client)

Query: (Goldberg).ATTY. AND (Joshua).ATTY. AND @pd>=20240101 — 712 results total (per USPTO).

Export: output/GOLDBERG_ALL_ASSIGNEES_500_RESULTS.csv — first 500 results (newest-first). Earliest in this export: 2024-09-10. No January 2024 patents in this export (they would be in the oldest 212 when sorted ascending).

Conclusion: US 11,858,934 B1 (2024-01-02) is likely the earliest Goldberg patent for any assignee as well — KFU was his first major client to show Goldberg on Line 74. To confirm, sort the 712 results by Date Publish ascending and export; the first row would be definitive.

Search #2: Goldberg patents after 6/15/2025 (transition evidence)

Query: (Goldberg).ATTY. AND (Joshua).ATTY. AND @pd>=20250615

Finding: From the all-assignees export (500 newest results), 158 patents have Date Published ≥ 2025-06-15. Earliest in subset: 2025-06-17.

Export: output/GOLDBERG_POST_615_2025.csv — 158 patents with Goldberg on Line 74 issued after the "late-period" cutoff. Assignees include KFU, KSU, Kuwait University, UAEU, BOE Technology, Verified Genius, and others.

Significance: Goldberg continued as attorney of record well after 6/15/2025 — supports the transition narrative (Goldberg taking over where Litman left off).

Search #3: Litman + Goldberg overlap (post-7/21/24) — Confirmed

Query: (Litman).ATTY. AND (Richard).ATTY. AND (Goldberg).ATTY. AND @pd>=20240721

Result: 11 patents (USPTO export). Matches our 12 overlap exhibit set (one may be a family/duplicate).

Export: output/LITMAN_GOLDBERG_OVERLAP_POST_721_2024.csv

Assignees: King Faisal University (8), King Saud University (2), Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (1). Date range: 2024-07-23 to 2025-01-14.

Search #4: Litman + Goldberg overlap (post-6/15/2025) — 0 results

Query: (Litman).ATTY. AND (Goldberg).ATTY. AND @pd>=20250615

Result: No patents found. Consistent with Litman-only post-6/15/2025 returning 0 — no patents list Litman as attorney after that date, so no overlap with Goldberg.

Provisional Finding (from goldberg_post_2024-07-21_patents.csv)

Earliest 2024 patent in that file: 2024-07-23

Examples: - 12041933 — N-(pyrimidin-2-ylcarbamothioyl) benzamide... - 12043608 — 2-(Benzo[b]thiophen-3-yl)-1-butyl-4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazole... - 12043609 — 6′(4-methoxyphenyl)-2′-alkoxy-3,4′-bipyridine-3′-carbonitrile...

Caveat: The file may be limited to post-7/21/2024. If Goldberg started earlier (e.g., Jan–Jun 2024), this would not capture it. Run the PatentsView script or USPTO query above to confirm.

How to Hunt Down the Earliest Date

Step 1: USPTO Patent Public Search (No API Key Required)

Go to https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/
Select database USPAT (granted patents)
Run one or both queries below

Step 2: Queries to Run

KFU-specific (earliest KFU patent with Goldberg on Line 74):

("King Faisal University").AS. AND (Goldberg).ATTY. AND (Joshua).ATTY. AND @pd>=20240101

Returns 212 results (as of March 2025)
Sort results by Date Publish ascending (click column header)
First row = earliest KFU patent with Goldberg on Line 74

All assignees (earliest patent with Goldberg on Line 74, any client):

(Goldberg).ATTY. AND (Joshua).ATTY. AND @pd>=20240101

Returns 712 results (as of March 2025)
Sort by Date Publish ascending
First row = earliest patent with Goldberg on Line 74

Step 3: Record the Answer

Note the patent number and issue date of the first result
Update this document with the confirmed earliest date
Add to output/LINE_74_CONTROL_INFERENCE_MEMO.md as an example

Step 4: Why This Matters

The earliest date establishes when Goldberg first began using his name instead of Litman on patent front pages. Combined with the Line 74 control inference (see LINE_74_CONTROL_INFERENCE_MEMO.md), it supports the argument that Goldberg had control over attorney designation throughout the transition period.

Next Steps (After Manual Search)

Run the USPTO queries above and record the earliest patent.
Update this document with the confirmed earliest date.
Optional: Run scripts/find_earliest_goldberg_patent.py if PatentsView API key becomes available (automated export).

Earliest Goldberg Findings