A Patentee (sometimes referred to as a patent owner) is a litigant in a Patent Case who claims to hold rights to a U.S. patent. In district court cases a Patentee is usually a plaintiff, but may be a defendant in declaratory judgment cases (i.e., cases in which the complaint seeks a declaration of patent noninfringement, invalidity or unenforceability). In the ITC a Patentee is usually a complainant. In the PTAB a Patentee is the patent owner.