Our goal is to provide you with top-notch, close-knit service that makes you feel as though we are your in-house team. Don’t get lost in the shuffle at a nameless, faceless firm. Because we are a small, boutique firm, we are able to take a hands-on, team-based approach to your project and combine all of our expertise to see it through to success. Here are the search types we provide:
Infringement / Clearance / Right-to-Use / Freedom-to-Operate
Avoid the potential for costly litigation against your business
Your business may have a product or service that combines many elements, and this exhaustive search looks at all of the features to see if there are any patents that may put your business at risk. A costly litigation can sink your business, so it is important to eliminate or understand these concerns as quickly as possible.
FTO is jurisdiction-specific, and we have you covered there. We have in-house search tools that enable us to search in over 130 foreign jurisdictions. Our FTO searches can also cover expired/safe-harbor type prior art that can be used in an invalidity attack as well as to indicate what is in the public domain. Your best decision is to order these types of searches before beginning a new business endeavor. This is a great time if you have a product you expect to be extremely profitable and has similar proven products already on the market.
Invalidity
Facing a patent infringement lawsuit, or need to enforce your own patent?
Find out in advance your likelihood for victory in enforcing your pre-existing patent. Our creative search techniques can anticipate what prior art both the most and least diligent defendants may cite against your patent. We can provide you with a list of your patent’s weaknesses so you can make the necessary amendments before pursuing a costly litigation.
In the event someone enforces their patent against you, an Invalidity Search can break down two or three references that best invalidate their claims. With this information, you can proceed with confidence in fighting a patent lawsuit.
European Patent Office: European Patent Opposition & European Patent Pre-grant Third Party Submissions
Have you discovered a problematic European Patent grant or pending application?
Don’t wait - it’s time for an offensive strategy.
European Patent (EP) opposition searches provide a means to challenge a granted EP patent for validity. Per the European Patent Office (EPO): opposition to any European patent granted by the EPO under the European Patent Convention (EPC) may be filed by any member of the public except for the patent owner.
Your opposition must be filed within nine months of the publication of the mention that the patent has been granted, so it is necessary to move quickly! The procedure may involve multiple opponents.
Have you come across a pending application that may be troublesome for your patents? We help you step in and file prior art during the EPO Examiner’s examination to combat troublesome filings.
Per the EPO: following publication of the European patent application under Art. 93, any person may present observations concerning the patentability of the invention. Although lack of novelty and/or inventive step are the most common observations, third-party observations may also be directed to clarity (Art. 84), sufficiency of disclosure (Art. 83), patentability (Art. 52(2) and (3), 53 or 57) and unallowable amendments (Art. 76(1), 123(2) and 123(3)).
Patentability
Comprehensive proof that your invention is innovative and unique
Diving in on blind enthusiasm is so easy to do when enraptured with your big idea. However, it is important to slow down and make sure it is a product you will actually be able to receive a patent for and bring to market. This is an extremely comprehensive search that looks at all prior art relevant to the novelty of a specific invention. We set ourselves apart by exhaustively searching US, foreign and Non-Patent Literature databases in your unique field, providing you with a wealth of prior art that the USPTO and other patent search firms simply do not have access to.
Landscape / State of the Art
Stay on top of hot business opportunities in your industry before they are poached by your competitors
A Landscape Search investigates all prior art in your specific technology field. It is a broad search that will tip you off to potential ‘blue ocean space’ - the profitable space without competitors and is wide open for innovation. Rather than read through 10,000 patents, we can distill and customize that giant stack of patents into something actionable and digestable. This is perfect information to pass along to a research and development team who may be looking for a business’s next big success.
Preissuance Submissions
Pre-emptive strike against pending patent applications
Monitoring your competitors’ patent applications, and find one that might be a potential conflict with your existing patent? Third parties are able to anonymously submit prior art of record that may be relevant to the examination of a pending patent application. This process can ensure the patent examiner does not mistakenly overlook any relevant prior art that may ultimately infringe on your existing patent.
Accelerated Examination
Need a patent ASAP?
It can typically take 26.7 months to see an approved patent, and a whopping 87.5 months if an appeal is necessary. We specialize in assembling Accelerated Examination applications so that you can meet all of the requirements to receive an expedited patent in a mere 12 months.
