Patent Search & Analysis

Prior art searches

Purpose:
To determine whether an invention is new and non-obvious before filing a patent application.

Includes:

Prior art search (patents, publications, non-patent literature)

Assessment of novelty and inventive step

Patentability opinion

Freedom-to-operate (FTO) assessments

Purpose:
To identify existing patents that could block your product or process from being legally sold or used in a specific market.

Includes:

In-force patent claims analysis

Jurisdiction-specific risk assessment

Legal status verification

State of the Art Search

Purpose:
To gather a broad overview of existing technologies in a particular field.

Includes:

Overview of current patents and literature

Trend analysis by technology, assignee, or geography

Identification of gaps or white spaces

Useful for:
R&D teams, innovation managers, or investors for strategic planning.

Invalidity / Validity Search

Purpose:
To determine whether a specific patent is enforceable (valid) or can be challenged (invalid).

Includes:

Search for prior art that may impact novelty or non-obviousness

Legal interpretation of claims vs. prior art

Support for litigation or licensing negotiations

Useful for:
Litigants, licensees, or acquirers in patent disputes or deals.

Landscape / Competitive Intelligence Search

Purpose:
To analyze the IP activity of competitors and identify innovation trends in a field.

Includes:

Competitor patent portfolios

Technology trends over time

Geographic filing patterns

Patent strength and citation analysis

Useful for:
Corporate strategists, investors, innovation consultants.