Patent validity involves exhaustive prior art searches conducted to answer important questions such as the following:

We’ve found a patent that could potentially hinder our commercialization opportunities, so would like to assess its validity. How could you help us?

The purpose of a validity or an invalidity / opposition search is to understand the strength of a patent, i.e., whether or not the patent is defendable in a court if litigation arises. Such a search is done for several reasons to understand the strength of a patent that you are planning to acquire, to understand if a patent standing in your way is really defensible, to protect your own position in case someone has accused you of infringement, and so on. Doing a validity search would give you strategic advantage over competition. SciTech Patent Art’s scientists are experts in validity searches. We bring both technical expertise and knowledge of databases / tools available to your project and help you find a way out of some of the toughest IP issues. SciTech Patent Art has received commendations from many clients over the years for finding precise prior art. SciTech Patent Art scientists have also received accolades in global search competitions for their search skills.

Methodology

  • Review prosecution histories, technical literature to uncover most relevant prior art
  • Multiple searches conducted across various databases
  • Frequent interaction with clients to meet their specific needs

Key Deliverables

  • Comparison of given patent with prior art in the format of claim charts
comparison-of-given-patent

Related Case Studies

PRIOR ART SEARCH FOR A US BASED CATALYST COMPANY

SPA conducted prior art search for a patent claiming a process of decreasing selectivity loss of catalyst used in a reactor for a petrochemical process by controlling the presence of water in the reactor.

VALIDITY SEARCH FOR AN EUROPEAN LAW FIRM

The client commissioned SPA to find prior art for a patent on the use of a particular organic acid for treating a skin condition.