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Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Harnessing Patent Information for
Enterprise Competitiveness
Olivier Sacroug
European Patent AttorneyKatzarov SA
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
• Information in the world of IP
– Patent information– Scientific publications– Marketing information
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
• What is patent information?– published patent applications– published search reports– granted patents– published decisions– gazettes of patent offices
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
• Why is patent information important?– Almost 1’000’000 new patent documents
published every year over the last 10 years– 50’000’000 patent documents worldwide,
describing 15’000’000 inventions– Exceptional source of technological
information
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
• Patent information is:– up-to-date– uniformly structured– unique– well organized– concentrated– quickly and easily accessed– inexpensive
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
• Patent information is important for– large companies– small and medium enterprises– scientists and researchers– inventors– investors– patent attorneys, patent searchers– ...
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
• How to conduct searches– mandate an external provider:
• patent search service provider• patent firm• patent offices
– hire a specialist (patent agent, searcher)– search online (ep.espacenet.com)
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
• How to retrieve patent information– use cited references– use patent classification (IPC, EPC)– use key words– use filing numbers– use bibliographic data (applicant, inventors)– combining the above
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
• Different uses of patent information
– Patentability studies– Freedom to operate studies (FTO)– Technology surveys– Defensive publications
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
• Patentability study
– Can I get a patent for my invention?
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
• Freedom to operate study
– Can I market my invention?
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
• Technology Survey
– What do the others do?
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
• Defensive publication
– How can I prevent third parties from patenting something?
Patentability Study
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
• Patentability study: why?
– To evaluate the chances of obtaining a patent for a determined invention / development
– To help writing a better patent application– To avoid unnecessary costs of preparing and
filing a useless patent application
Patentability Study
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
• Patentability study: when?
– Once a solution is defined– Before filing a patent application
Patentability Study
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
• Patentability study: what?
– Any publication (patent or non-patent documents)
Patentability Study
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
• Patentability study: how?– Look for the core features of the invention
(the special case destroys the novelty of the general case)
– Limited scope (often limited to a predefined budget)
– Stops as soon as the invention is anticipated by one or more documents
Patentability Study
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
• Patentability study: result
– Limited set of documents– Recommendations about the patenting
strategy
Patentability Study
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
• Patentability study: actions
+ File a patent application to protect your invention
+/- Adapt / limit the scope of protection to a part of your invention only
- Give up any patent protection
FTO
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
• Freedom to operate study: why?
– Avoid being attacked for infringement by one or more competitors
– Identify necessary licenses
FTO
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
• Freedom to operate study: when?
– Before starting a new development– Just before going to market: usually too late
FTO
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
• Freedom to operate study: what?
– Granted and valid patents– Patent applications
FTO
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
• Freedom to operate study: how?
– Extensive search– Look for broad patents– Patent family and validity searches– Carefully analyse patent claims– “Old” patents are disregarded (> 20 years)
FTO
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
• Freedom to operate study: result– One or more patent families with legal status,
time and geographical limits of each patent– Identification of possible infringements– Identification of possible licensors– Risk assessment
FTO
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
• Freedom to operate study: actions
+ continue the development as planned
+/- modify the solution
+/- accept the risks
- negotiate licenses
- abandon, change direction
Tech. Survey
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study FTO Defensive Publ.
• Technology Survey: why?– Understand what is occurring in your (future)
technological area:• technological trends• subjects of research• emerging research fields
– Avoid reinventing the wheels• find existing solutions to a technical problem• find solutions that are not yet protected
Tech. Survey
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study FTO Defensive Publ.
• Technology Survey: why?– Watch your competitors
• key players• patent portfolios• technical strategies
– Survey third parties patents• patenting trends• threats• infringements
Tech. Survey
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study FTO Defensive Publ.
• Technology Survey: when?
– Before entering a new field– Continuously (usually starts after the first bad
experience)
Tech. Survey
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study FTO Defensive Publ.
• Technology Survey: what?
– Patent documents– Scientific publications, newspapers, journals– Marketing information– Company publication– ...
Tech. Survey
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study FTO Defensive Publ.
• Technology Survey: how?
– Search script / strategy• Defined once• Periodically run• Continuously adapted
– Embrace all documentation found– Analyse
Tech. Survey
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study FTO Defensive Publ.
• Technology Survey: results
– Patent documents– Statistics:
• per country / region• per company / inventor• per patent classification• per year
Tech. Survey
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study FTO Defensive Publ.
• Why do I need statistics
– Country / region: markets of interest– Company: cooperating companies– Inventor: top inventors in a company– Classification: R&D focus– Year: old or emerging technological field
Tech. Survey
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study FTO Defensive Publ.
• Technology Survey: actions
– Oppose your competitors new patents– Adapt your R&D, marketing, investing and/or
business strategies– Assess your strategy regarding new activities
Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey
• Defensive publication: why?
– Prevent a third party from patenting something
Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey
• Defensive publication: how?
– Publish discretely• Publish through specialized companies• File a patent application in an “exotic” country
Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey
• Defensive publication: result
– Published document with a certified publication date
Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey
• Defensive publication: action
– If necessary, use your defensive publication to destroy novelty of a competitor’s patent
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
• Conclusion:
– Harnessing information, in particular patent information, is essential to the establishment of a coherent and efficient business strategy and to avoid disputes with competitors.
– Leads to greater earnings.
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Questions?
Patentability Study FTO Tech. Survey Defensive Publ.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A. 20/02/2007
Olivier Sacroug
Katzarov SAEuropean Patent & Trademark Attorneys
Geneva and Basel
admin@katzarov.comTel: +41 22 342 66 30Fax: +41 22 342 66 15
www.katzarov.com
Thank You!
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