What is a freedom to operate (FTO) or infringement search?

What is freedom to operate or a patent infringement search? A freedom to operate search or review is basically an analysis to see if you can sell your product without infringing patents. Also known as an FTO review, the purpose is to assess the risk of patent infringement for a particular product or service. Those […]

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Should I have a patent infringement search conducted for a simple product?

What is an FTO search? Also known as a Freedom-To-Operate (FTO) or right-to-use search, a patent infringement search looks for patents that may cover a product or service. An infringement search involves a careful comparison of the patent claims to the product to be sold, as opposed to a novelty search which focuses on the patent drawings […]

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What is a (novelty vs. validity vs. freedom-to-operate) patent search?

What are different types of patent searches? A patent search can mean different things. So when you’re talking to a patent attorney about a search, you need to be clear about what you are looking for. There are 3 main types of patent searches: patentability search (aka novelty search); freedom-to-operate (FTO) search (aka right-to-use or […]

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