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We handle the complete process for your Patent Search right here in Chennai Office. Get certified quickly and legally with our expert local team.
Professional Fee: ₹1,199 | Govt Fee: ₹0 | Total: ₹1,199 (incl. govt fees)
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A simple, transparent process to get your business compliant.
A patent search is a systematic investigation of existing patents, patent applications, research papers, and public disclosures to determine whether an invention is novel and non-obvious — the two foundational requirements for patentability. Conducted before filing a patent application, the search serves as a reality check: it identifies prior art that could block or limit the scope of your patent, highlights the strength of your inventive step relative to existing technology, and informs your patent strategy (whether to file, how broadly to claim, and which jurisdictions to target). Our Indian patent search covers the Indian Patent Office database (InPASS/Indian Patent Advanced Search System), as well as international databases including the USPTO, EPO (Espacenet), WIPO (PATENTSCOPE), and Google Patents. The search methodology includes keyword-based searches, classification-based searches (using the International Patent Classification system), and citation-based searches (forward and backward citation analysis of relevant prior art patents). For technical inventions, we also search non-patent literature — academic journals, conference proceedings, and technical publications — because these are equally relevant prior art. The deliverable is a detailed patent search report that includes: a summary of the most relevant prior art found (typically 5-15 references), a claim-by-claim novelty and obviousness assessment, a patentability opinion (patentable, patentable with limitations, or not patentable), and strategic recommendations for proceeding with the patent filing. The report helps you make an informed decision about whether to invest in the patent application process.
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I-Pro specialist handling, drafting & filing
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Professional Fee: ₹1,199 onwards | Govt Fee: ₹0 | Total: ₹1,199 (incl. govt fees)
The starting fee of ₹1,199 covers specialist consultation, document preparation, the government filing fee, and tracking until you receive the final certificate. Additional government fees may apply for objections, renewals, or expedited processing.
Turnaround depends on the specifics of your case. Once I-Pro Solutions scopes your requirements, I-Pro Solutions will give you a realistic timeline with milestones.
Most filings require identity proof (PAN/Aadhaar/passport), address proof, business registration documents, and (for IP filings) examples of use. An I-Pro Solutions specialist will send a tailored checklist within 24 hours of starting.
If a filing is rejected due to an error by I-Pro Solutions, I-Pro Solutions will refile at no extra cost and refund the service fee. If the rejection is due to information you provided, I-Pro Solutions will work with you to fix and refile at a discounted fee.
Legally, a patent search is not mandatory; you can file a patent application directly with the Indian Patent Office without conducting one. However, practically and strategically, it is considered an essential prerequisite. Filing without a search is equivalent to navigating a minefield blindfolded. A search identifies existing similar inventions, allowing you to assess if your application has a realistic chance of success. Skipping this step often results in the expenditure of significant time and money on drafting and filing fees, only to have the application rejected by the examiner due to prior art that a preliminary search would have easily uncovered.
Gather these documents for your Chennai Office application.
Yes, you can use free tools like Google Patents or the WIPO Patentscope database to conduct preliminary searches yourself. This is often a good first step. However, DIY searches are generally insufficient for making definitive legal and business decisions. Free databases may have lag times in updates, lack sophisticated classification tools, and do not interpret the complex legal language of patent claims. Professional searchers use premium, expensive databases that cover over 100 jurisdictions, utilize advanced boolean logic, search non-patent literature, and provide expert legal opinions on how the discovered prior art specifically impacts your invention's patentability.
A Patentability Search (or Prior Art Search) focuses on whether your invention is new and can be patented. It looks at ALL public knowledge globally, including expired patents and scientific papers, regardless of jurisdiction. In contrast, a Freedom to Operate (FTO) search (or Clearance Search) focuses on whether you can commercially launch your product without being sued for infringement. It strictly looks at ACTIVE, legally enforceable patents only in the specific countries where you intend to manufacture or sell your product. You might not be able to patent your product (failed patentability), but you still might have the freedom to operate if the prior art patents have expired.
No search, regardless of how exhaustive, can provide a 100% guarantee of patent grant. A patent search significantly minimizes the risk of rejection but cannot eliminate it entirely. This is because patent applications are kept confidential for 18 months after filing before they are published. Therefore, there is always an 18-month 'blind spot' where an identical invention could have been filed by someone else but is not yet searchable in any public database. Additionally, the final decision on patentability always rests with the subjective judgment of the assigned patent examiner at the IPO.
Finding similar prior art does not automatically mean the end of your project. It is common to find overlapping technologies. When this happens, a patent attorney analyzes the differences between your invention and the prior art. If your invention has a specific feature, component, or step that is different and provides an unexpected technical advantage, you can still secure a patent by drafting the claims narrowly to focus solely on that novel aspect. The search report acts as a roadmap, guiding the attorney to draft around existing roadblocks.
The timeline for a professional patent search varies depending on the complexity of the technology, the depth of the search required, and the type of search being conducted. A standard global patentability search typically takes between 5 to 7 business days. A more comprehensive Freedom to Operate (FTO) search or a complex Invalidity search may take 2 to 4 weeks, as they require meticulous analysis of legal claims across multiple jurisdictions. Expedited services are often available for an additional fee if urgent business decisions are pending.
Yes, absolutely. Reputable IP law firms and search agencies are ethically and legally bound to maintain client confidentiality. Before you disclose any technical details of your invention, a comprehensive Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) must be signed between you and the service provider. This legally prevents them from sharing, using, or claiming ownership of your idea. It is crucial to ensure this NDA is in place before initiating any technical discussions.
Yes, a Patentability (Prior Art) Search covers expired patents, abandoned applications, and rejected applications. The goal of this search is to determine if your idea is 'novel'—meaning it has never been disclosed before. Once a concept is disclosed in a patent document, it becomes part of the global public knowledge (prior art), even if that patent later expires or is abandoned. Therefore, an expired patent can still destroy the novelty of your new application and prevent you from securing a patent.
Professional patent searchers use a combination of free and premium databases to ensure comprehensive coverage. Free databases include WIPO Patentscope, USPTO, EPO Espacenet, and the Indian Patent Office database. However, professionals heavily rely on costly, proprietary commercial databases such as Derwent Innovation, PatSnap, Orbit Intelligence, and STN. These premium platforms offer superior search algorithms, semantic analysis, comprehensive translations of foreign language patents (like Chinese or Japanese), and advanced analytics tools that are crucial for deep technical mapping.
Non-Patent Literature (NPL) refers to any public disclosure of technology that is not a patent document. This includes academic papers, scientific journals, textbooks, conference proceedings, industry magazines, internet blogs, and even product manuals. Searching NPL is critical because an invention must be novel compared to ALL existing human knowledge, not just patented knowledge. If an academic researcher published a paper describing your exact invention 10 years ago, that paper (NPL) will serve as prior art and prevent you from getting a patent, even if no patent was ever filed for it.
A Patent Invalidity Search (or Validity Search) is an exhaustive search conducted after a patent has already been granted. Its purpose is to uncover prior art that the patent examiner missed during the original examination process. This is typically done defensively when a company is accused of patent infringement. If the defending company can find prior art that existed before the patent's priority date, they can file a petition to invalidate (cancel) the granted patent, thereby destroying the basis of the infringement lawsuit.
For startups, particularly those in tech, pharma, or manufacturing, investing in an FTO search before a major product launch or before seeking significant VC funding is highly advisable. While it is an expensive process, the cost of not doing it can be fatal. Launching an infringing product can lead to immediate injunctions (shutting down sales) and massive damages lawsuits from established competitors. Furthermore, sophisticated investors often demand an FTO analysis during due diligence to ensure their investment is not at risk of immediate IP litigation.
Yes, a preliminary patent search can and often should be done when an idea is in the conceptual stage, even before a physical prototype is built. However, you must be able to articulate the core mechanism, the problem it solves, and how it fundamentally works. Conducting a search at this early stage is highly beneficial as it helps validate the concept, identifies existing solutions, and allows you to steer the subsequent Research and Development (R&D) efforts in a direction that avoids existing patents and focuses on patentable white spaces.
For a Patentability (Prior Art) Search, you do not search country by country; you conduct a 'global' search. Novelty is an absolute, worldwide requirement. If an invention is known in Japan, it cannot be patented in India. Therefore, the search looks at databases worldwide simultaneously. However, for a Freedom to Operate (FTO) search, you must search on a country-by-country basis. Because patent rights are territorial, you only need to ensure you are not infringing active patents in the specific countries where you intend to manufacture, sell, or import your product.
A professional Patent Search Report is a comprehensive document that typically includes: an Executive Summary providing a high-level overview of patentability; the precise Search Methodology, including keywords, classifications (IPC/CPC), and databases used; a detailed Analysis Section mapping your invention's features against the discovered prior art; copies of or links to the highly relevant prior art documents; and most importantly, a clear Legal Opinion and Strategic Recommendations from a patent attorney on whether to proceed with filing, modify the invention, or reconsider the project.