Who can be considered an assignee for the purpose of granting inspection permissions?

The party to whom the patent rights are assigned is designated as the assignee and has the authority to grant inspection permissions. In patent law, an assignee is an entity (which can be an individual or a corporation) that has received rights to a patent from the original inventor(s) through an assignment agreement. This assignment transfers ownership of the patent rights, including the ability to control who is allowed to inspect the patent application and associated documents.

Understanding the role of an assignee is crucial because they hold the legal rights to the patent and can make decisions regarding its use, licensing, or enforcement. In contrast, simply being an inventor does not automatically confer the rights of an assignee. An inventor may have contributed to the invention, but unless they have formally assigned their rights to another entity, they do not have the ability to grant inspection permissions on behalf of the patent. Thus, option D focuses on the actual legal framework in which patent assignments operate.