Capturing product features
We describe what the product technically does — the search runs against those features.
DeliverableA list of elements to clear
FTO
We are preparing to launch
Patent risk is cheaper to clear before launch than after a demand letter. At this stage a design-around is still possible: changing how a feature is implemented costs weeks of work, not a product recall.
Clearance before market entry 3 steps
Freedom-to-operate search
We look for live patents that could block the launch in the chosen markets.
DeliverableAn FTO report with a risk map
Design-around options
We work out which changes to the solution remove the risk and which do not.
DeliverableRecommendations for reworking the solution
What backs this up
Experience building patent landscapesSearch across patent and non-patent sources
Experience building patent landscapes means the search runs against the technical features of the solution, not against keywords from the product description.
Freedom to operate answers a different question from a novelty search. What matters here is not whether you can obtain your own patent, but whether someone else's live rights block the market — and what to do about it before launch rather than after.
This is probably you if
- You need to know whether a technical solution can be patented at all.
- You need to assess the risk of infringing someone else's patents before launch.
- You need a patent landscape for R&D, investment, a transaction or entry into a foreign market.
How it runs
- We capture the technical substance of the product and the features to search against.
- We search patent databases and relevant non-patent sources.
- We report on novelty, risks, freedom to operate and design-around options.