Validity search
Sometimes a supplementary search related to a patent that has already been granted is required. The aim can be to determine the strength of the protection of a patent to be sold or licensed, or to search for novelty bars to revoke the competitor’s patent.
Please note that neither the grounds for granting a patent nor the term of a patent are questioned in this search. The search is not performed on patents, if the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) as the patent authority has already carried out a novelty search of the application or its priority application. Neither do we carry out searches for utility models if the PRH as the patent authority has already processed the application.
Outcome of the search
A validity search focuses on determining the search strategy and the databases used, and in addition it focuses on examining patent databases and also international non-patent literature published before the filing date of the patent in question. Such publications are also searched for that may be significant for the assessment of novelty or inventiveness of the patented invention.
The search report includes information on cited documents, used databases, patent classes and key words. The cited documents are classified in three categories:
- Significant when considering the novelty and inventiveness of the invention
- General state of the art
- Cited for other reasons
How long does the search take?
Our delivery time is usually about 3 weeks from order. (Please observe that possible work queues within a particular technical field and the holiday season can prolong the estimated delivery time.)
Prices
The basic fee for a validity search is € 200 + € 160/h + VAT
How to order
Send your order by mail or secure email. See our contact details.
Instructions on secure email.
Fill in our order form, indicate the number of the patent to be examined and the number of hours you wish us to spend on the search.
Go to the order form: