1. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
Harnessing Patent Information
for
Enterprise Competitiveness
Olivier Sacroug
European Patent Attorney
Katzarov SA
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

2. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Information in the world of IP
– Patent information
– Scientific publications
– Marketing information
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

3. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• What is patent information?
– published patent applications
– published search reports
– granted patents
– published decisions
– gazettes of patent offices
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

4. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• 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
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

5. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Patent information is:
– up-to-date
– uniformly structured
– unique
– well organized
– concentrated
– quickly and easily accessed
– inexpensive
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

6. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Patent information is important for
– large companies
– small and medium enterprises
– scientists and researchers
– inventors
– investors
– patent attorneys, patent searchers
– ...
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

7. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• 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)
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

8. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• 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
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

9. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Different uses of patent information
– Patentability studies
– Freedom to operate studies (FTO)
– Technology surveys
– Defensive publications
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

10. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Patentability study
– Can I get a patent for my invention?
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

11. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Freedom to operate study
– Can I market my invention?
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

12. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Technology Survey
– What do the others do?
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

13. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Defensive publication
– How can I prevent third parties from patenting
something?
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

14. Patentability Study
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
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

15. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Patentability study: when?
– Once a solution is defined
– Before filing a patent application
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

16. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Patentability study: what?
– Any publication (patent or non-patent
documents)
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

17. Patentability Study
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
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

18. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Patentability study: result
– Limited set of documents
– Recommendations about the patenting
strategy
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

19. Patentability Study
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
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

20. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Freedom to operate study: why?
– Avoid being attacked for infringement by one or
more competitors
– Identify necessary licenses
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

21. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Freedom to operate study: when?
– Before starting a new development
– Just before going to market: usually too late
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

22. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Freedom to operate study: what?
– Granted and valid patents
– Patent applications
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

23. Patentability Study
FTO
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)
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

24. Patentability Study
FTO
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
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

25. Patentability Study
FTO
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
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

26. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
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
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

27. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Technology Survey: why?
– Watch your competitors
• key players
• patent portfolios
• technical strategies
– Survey third parties patents
• patenting trends
• threats
• infringements
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

28. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Technology Survey: when?
– Before entering a new field
– Continuously (usually starts after the first bad
experience)
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

29. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Technology Survey: what?
– Patent documents
– Scientific publications, newspapers, journals
– Marketing information
– Company publication
– ...
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

30. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Technology Survey: how?
– Search script / strategy
• Defined once
• Periodically run
• Continuously adapted
– Embrace all documentation found
– Analyse
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

31. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Technology Survey: results
– Patent documents
– Statistics:
•
•
•
•
per country / region
per company / inventor
per patent classification
per year
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

32. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
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
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

33. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
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
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

34. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Defensive publication: why?
– Prevent a third party from patenting something
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

35. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Defensive publication: how?
– Publish discretely
• Publish through specialized companies
• File a patent application in an “exotic” country
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

36. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Defensive publication: result
– Published document with a certified
publication date
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

37. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• Defensive publication: action
– If necessary, use your defensive publication
to destroy novelty of a competitor’s patent
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

38. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
• 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.
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

39. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
Questions?
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007

40. Patentability Study
FTO
Tech. Survey
Defensive Publ.
Thank You!
Olivier Sacroug
Katzarov SA
European Patent & Trademark Attorneys
Geneva and Basel
admin@katzarov.com
Tel: +41 22 342 66 30
Fax: +41 22 342 66 15
www.katzarov.com
Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.
20/02/2007