Run a patentability search, also called a pre-filing or novelty search. At the idea or pre-filing stage it assesses whether an invention is novel and involves an inventive step (non-obviousness) over prior art, so you can decide whether and how to file before investing in drafting and prosecution.

Run a freedom to operate (FTO) search before commercialisation. It assesses whether a product, process or technology can be made, used or sold in one or more jurisdictions without infringing valid third-party patent rights, and is typically run country by country ahead of launch.

Patentability looks backward at prior art to ask "is my invention new and inventive?" at the pre-filing stage. FTO looks at in-force third-party rights to ask "can I commercialise my product without infringing?" at the pre-launch stage. The two answer different questions at different points in the lifecycle and are often both needed.

Run an infringement search when you need to assess a specific product, process, system or technology against the claims of an issued patent or pending application, for example when evaluating a competitor's product or your own product against a known patent.

An infringement search focuses on whether a specific product falls within the claims of a particular patent. An FTO search is broader: it scans the patent landscape in a jurisdiction to identify any in-force rights a product might infringe before launch. Infringement is targeted; FTO is a clearance exercise.

Run an invalidity or validity search in an adversarial or risk-assessment context, such as litigation, an opposition or re-examination, licensing negotiations, or due diligence. It searches for prior art that could challenge, or confirm the strength of, the claims of an issued patent or pending application.

They use the same method but reflect the perspective. An invalidity search is usually run by a party seeking prior art to challenge or revoke someone else's patent. A validity search is run to test and confirm the robustness of your own patent, for example before asserting it or during due diligence.

Use a patent sequence search for biological, sequence-based inventions. It identifies nucleotide (DNA and RNA) and amino acid (protein) sequences disclosed in patents using sequence-alignment methods across all major databases. It can support pre-filing patentability, pre-launch FTO and landscape decisions, and complements keyword-based searches, which cannot reliably find sequences in long sequence listings.

As a rule of thumb: patentability before filing; FTO before product launch and by jurisdiction; infringement when assessing a specific product against a patent; invalidity or validity in disputes, licensing and due diligence; and sequence search whenever the invention or risk involves biological sequences, at any of these stages.

Start with a patentability search to confirm novelty before you spend on drafting and filing. As you approach commercialisation, add a freedom to operate search in your target markets. This sequence puts the most decision-critical, lowest-cost checks first.

A freedom to operate search, scoped jurisdiction by jurisdiction. Patent rights are territorial, so FTO is run against the in-force patents of each country where you intend to make, use or sell the product.

An invalidity search. It identifies prior art that may undermine one or more claims of the competitor's patent, supporting an opposition, re-examination, revocation action or a defence in litigation.

Typically a combination: an invalidity search to find prior art that could challenge the asserted claims, alongside a claim-focused infringement analysis of your product against those claims. Together they inform both validity and non-infringement positions.

Often, yes. A single invention may move from a patentability search before filing, to an FTO search before launch, to an invalidity or validity search if a dispute arises, with a sequence search layered in for biological subject matter. We help you sequence the right searches for each decision.

Tell us the decision you are facing and the stage you are at, your technology area, the product or invention, the relevant claims or patents, and the jurisdictions of interest. We will recommend the right search type (or combination), then scope the databases, parameters, deliverables and timeline accordingly.