KNPC Patent Search Results
Date: 2026-03-22
Query target: Kuwait National Petroleum Company patents listing Litman as attorney, issued 6/15/2020 through 12/31/2023
Status: SEARCH COMPLETE -- NO KNPC PATENTS WITH LITMAN ON LINE 74 FOUND IN TARGET PERIOD
Summary
Zero (0) KNPC patents list Litman as attorney on Line 74 in the 2020-2023 period. The entire universe of US patents assigned to Kuwait National Petroleum Company consists of only 3 patents total, all issued 2024-2025, and all 3 show Joshua B. Goldberg (not Richard Litman) as attorney on Line 74.
The planned PatentsView API query (("Kuwait National Petroleum").AS. AND (Litman).ATTY. AND @pd>=20200615 AND @pd<=20231231) would return 0 results because:
1. The USPTO full-text search for ("Kuwait National Petroleum Company").AS. returns only 3 hits total (confirmed via )
2. All 3 were issued after 12/03/2024 -- outside the 2020-2023 search window
3. All 3 show Goldberg, not Litman, on Line 74
All Known KNPC Patents (Complete Universe)
| # | Patent Number | Grant Date | Filing Date | Title | Line 74 Attorney | In 905 Dataset? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US-12157086-B1 | 2024-12-03 | 2023-07-03 (App 18/217,910) | Amine liquid seal in a flare system | Joshua B. Goldberg (OCR-verified 2026-03-16) | Yes |
| 2 | US-12280479-B1 | 2025-04-22 | 2024-08-19 (App 18/808,339) | Tool for torquing guidance of end flange mating surfaces and related methods | Joshua B. Goldberg (OCR-verified 2026-03-16) | No (post-dataset cutoff) |
| 3 | US-12510313-B1 | 2025-12-30 | 2025-07-23 (App 19/277,913) | Method of cleaning a cold box | Joshua B. Goldberg (audit-verified) | No (post-dataset cutoff) |
All 3 patents share customer number 37833 (the Nath Goldberg & Meyer / Litman customer number) in the USPTO file wrapper, which is why they appear in the broader Litman-associated dataset. However, the public face (Line 74) of each patent names Goldberg.
Search Methods Used
- Existing dataset analysis: Searched the 905-patent CSV () -- only 1 of 3 KNPC patents appears (12157086; the other 2 were issued after the dataset's 2025-01-14 cutoff)
- USPTO full-text query counts: confirms
("Kuwait National Petroleum Company").AS.= 3 results total - KNPC exhibit tracker and analysis CSV: (see exhibit binder) and already document all 3 patents
- Inventor cross-reference: Searched the 905-patent dataset for known KNPC inventor names (Rathinasabapathi, Atta, Asem) -- confirmed no hidden KNPC patents
- Google Patents verification: Confirmed assignee and details for all 3 patents via patents.google.com
- PatentsView API: Both v1 (
search.patentsview.org) and legacy (api.patentsview.org) endpoints returned 403/410 errors -- require API key not currently set - USPTO PatFT: Timed out on queries
- Web search: No additional KNPC patents found via web search
Evidentiary Significance
What KNPC Patents DO Show (Transition Evidence)
- KNPC became a client of Nath Goldberg & Meyer through the firm's customer number (CN-37833) originally associated with Litman
- All 3 KNPC patents were filed AFTER the arbitration decision (6/14/2023) -- the earliest filing is 2023-07-03, just 19 days post-arbitration
- Goldberg personally handled all KNPC patent prosecution, putting his own name on Line 74
- This supports the narrative that Goldberg took over client relationships that had been associated with Litman
What KNPC Patents DO NOT Show
- Litman's name does NOT appear on the public face of any KNPC patent
- There are NO pre-2024 KNPC patents at all -- KNPC appears to be a NEW client acquired post-arbitration
- KNPC patents cannot be used as direct evidence of Litman name misappropriation under NY Civil Rights Law sections 50-51
Gap Closed
The open item from CLAUDE.md ("KNPC pre-2024 Litman Line 74 patents -- search query ready but not yet run") is now resolved. The query would return 0 results because no such patents exist. There are no pre-2024 KNPC patents in the USPTO database at all.
Relationship to Case Theory
KNPC is best understood as new business Goldberg brought in after the arbitration while still using the firm's customer number (CN-37833) that was historically associated with Litman. Unlike KFU (where Litman's name appears on 467+ patent front pages), KNPC does not support the core misappropriation claim.
However, KNPC is still relevant as context evidence:
- Shows Goldberg actively using the same customer number / firm apparatus that displays Litman's name on other patents
- Demonstrates that the firm's patent prosecution pipeline was fully under Goldberg's control post-arbitration
- Can be paired with KFU evidence to show Goldberg handling ALL the firm's patent prosecution work while Litman's name continued to appear on KFU patents
Email Context
Email archives contain KNPC references including:
- "KNPC estimated fees" email threads (fee estimation for KNPC filings)
- "IP policy for KNPC" email threads (drafting intellectual property policy for KNPC, estimated at $7,000-$12,000)
- These confirm KNPC was a client of the firm, with Goldberg directing the work
Files Referenced
- -- 3-patent KNPC dataset
- (see exhibit binder) -- exhibit tracker with audit corrections
- -- USPTO query confirming 3 total KNPC patents
- -- reframing of KNPC evidence post-audit
- -- email references to KNPC