Patent Search Is Key – Precise, Comprehensive and Targeted

patent search photo search

Do you have a brilliant idea and want to know if it is patentable? Are you looking for relevant prior art in patent revocation proceedings to challenge a patent in court? Do you need an overview of the state of the art in a particular technical field? Or do you want to identify potentially conflicting third-party patents before launching a new product or service?

A targeted patent search conducted by a professional patent searcher can help you find the right answer to these and many other patent-related questions.

Comprehensive patent data sources

We use various patent data sources for our patent searches, analyses, and IP monitoring to achieve optimal results. The patent databases we use contain patent data from over 100 patent offices worldwide, such as the EPO, USPTO, JPO, KPO, CNIPA, and are updated weekly.

We offer the following patent search services:

According to patent law, a technical invention must be new (novel) in order to meet the novelty requirement for patentability. To determine whether an invention is novel, a patentability search, also known as a novelty search, is carried out to retrieve relevant prior art documents. This search helps to decide whether to file a patent application based on the results obtained. The confidentiality and secrecy of the invention is maintained during the search:

– PATIAC Patent Service signs a Non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before discussing the invention with clients
– The search is carried out using patent classes and/or as few keywords as possible
– Free commercial patent databases, such as Google Patent, are not used

A State of the Art search provides an overview of the technical development of a specific subject matter. To achieve a more comprehensive result, this search identifies patent as well as non-patent literature (NPL).

  • Search Scope: Worldwide patent publications and non-patent literature
  • Timeline: Within 7 working days*; Express search: On request
  • Search Language: English
  • Optional search languages: German, (traditional & simplified) Chinese, Japanese, Korean
  • Request a free quote/sample search report

The purpose of an invalidity or opposition search is to find relevant prior art that could challenge the patentability of a patent in a patent invalidation/opposition proceeding.

An invalidity search can be time consuming as it is an “extended” and “intensified” patent search based on patents that have already been searched and examined by the patent office(s). In addition to English language patent publications, non-English language patent and non-patent disclosures can be searched in order to identify more potential relevant prior art.

  • Search Scope: Worldwide patent and non-patent disclosures, e.g. non-patent literature, oral disclosure, prior use etc.
  • Timeline: Within 10 working days*; Express search: On request
  • Search Language: English
  • Optional Search Languages: German, (traditional & simplified) Chinese, Japanese, Korean
  • Request a free quote/sample search report

A Freedom to Operate (FTO) search, also known as a product clearance search, is conducted prior to the development, marketing or launch of a new product, process or service. The purpose of the FTO search is to identify any potentially infringing patent rights and to avoid infringing the patent rights of third parties. To ensure complete freedom to operate, non-technical IP rights such as trademarks, designs and copyright should also be considered. We also offer a separate trademark and/or design search, which is recommended.

The FTO search retrieves worldwide patent publications for granted patents or pending patent applications.

In addition to active patents, the FTO search also considers expired patents and non-patent literature to establish non-infringement in the event of patent litigation and to strengthen freedom to operate.

  • Search Scope: Worldwide patent and non-patent publications
  • Timeline: Within 10 working days*; Express search: On request
  • Search Language: English
  • Optional Search Languages: German, (traditional & simplified) Chinese, Japanese, Korean
  • Request a free quote/sample search report

Once a product, process or service has been patented, an infringement search, also known as an Evidence of Use (EoU) search, allows the patent owner(s) to monitor and identify potential infringements in the marketplace to determine whether the patented product/process/service is being commercially exploited without the consent of the patent owner(s).

  • Search Scope: Online shops, social media channels, online portals, websites
  • Timeline: On request
  • Search Language: English
  • Optional Search Languages: German, (traditional & simplified) Chinese, Japanese, Korean
  • Request a free quote/sample search report

The purpose of a name search is to identify all patent rights registered under the name of a patent applicant/patent holder/inventor. To ensure a comprehensive search, all possible variations of the names searched should be considered to avoid missing relevant patent rights.

Dealing with Chinese, Japanese or Korean patentee or inventor names with non-Latin characters can be challenging due to variations in the translation of non-Latin names into Latin characters. In such cases, it is highly recommended to use patent searchers who are native speakers of the target language or who have a professional working knowledge of the target language to conduct the name search.

  • Search Scope: Worldwide patent and non-patent literature
  • Timeline: On request
  • Search Language: English
  • Optional Search Languages: German, (traditional & simplified) Chinese, Japanese, Korean
  • Request a free quote/sample search report

A legal status search checks the current legal status of a patent right, such as whether it is pending, expired or in force. Due to delays in the exchange of patent data between different patent offices and organisations, the legal status of a patent right marked in a patent database may not be up to date. It is strongly recommended that you check the databases of the relevant national patent offices to confirm the current legal status of a patent right.

  • Search Scope: Worldwide patent database / Database of the relevant national patent offices
  • Timeline: On request
  • Search Language: English
  • Optional Search Languages: German, (traditional & simplified) Chinese, Japanese, Korean
  • Request a free quote/sample search report

IP monitoring is an essential tool for staying informed of technological developments and tracking the IP rights and activities of third parties. With our IP monitoring services, you can stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends and protect your intellectual property rights effectively.

We work closely with you to create a search profile tailored to your specific needs and preferences, for example, a search profile with search parameters such as IPC/CPC classes, search terms and applicant names in the language of your choice. You can choose the frequency of monitoring, whether it’s daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly, and how you want the results presented.

Contact us to find out more about how our IP monitoring services can help you stay ahead of the competition and protect your intellectual property.

  • Search Scope: Worldwide patent publications
  • Timeline: On request
  • Search Language: English
  • Optional Search Languages: German, (traditional & simplified) Chinese, Japanese, Korean
  • Request a free quote/sample monitoring report

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Our services cover not only technical IP rights, but also non-patent literature/disclosure searches, trademark and design searches and IP monitoring/online IP protection searches.

Non-patent literature/disclosures provide an additional source of prior art documents and play an important role especially in patent litigation, where finding highly relevant or even killer prior art can have a decisive impact on the outcome of the patent litigation. For certain technical fields, such as telecommunications technologies and new emerging technologies in the IT sector, non-patent literature/disclosure is sometimes the only available and reliable source for exploring relevant prior art.

Our non-patent literature (NPL)/disclosure searches cover various sources, including books, journals, reports, dissertations, electronic media such as internet articles, databases, websites, online videos, podcasts, social media posts, and more.

  • Search Scope: Worldwide non-patent literature or disclosure
  • Timeline: On request
  • Search Language: English
  • Optional Search Languages: German, (traditional & simplified) Chinese, Japanese, Korean
  • Request a free quote/sample NPL search report

In addition to technical IP rights, search of trademarks, designs, and copyright as well as other non-technical IP rights is also part of our services.

  • Search Scope: Worldwide trademark and design publications, online shops, e-commerce websites, social media channels, online portals, firm websites, etc.
  • Timeline: On request
  • Search Language: English
  • Optional Search Languages: German, (traditional & simplified) Chinese
  • Request a free quote/sample trademark and design search report

Notes:
*) The delivery time is calculated from the date of the order.
*) The delivery time of the search result may vary depending on the search scope, complexity and technical field of the subject(s) searched.
*) We will provide you with an estimated delivery time when you place your order and keep you informed of any changes that may occur.