1. Patentability StudyFTOTech. SurveyDefensive Publ. Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.20/02/2007 Harnessing Patent Information for Enterprise Competitiveness Olivier Sacroug European Patent Attorney Katzarov SA

2. Patentability StudyFTOTech. SurveyDefensive Publ. Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.20/02/2007 Information in the world of IP –Patent information –Scientific publications –Marketing information

3. Patentability StudyFTOTech. SurveyDefensive 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

4. Patentability StudyFTOTech. SurveyDefensive Publ. Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.20/02/2007 Why is patent information important? –Almost 1000000 new patent documents published every year over the last 10 years –50000000 patent documents worldwide, describing 15000000 inventions –Exceptional source of technological information

5. Patentability StudyFTOTech. SurveyDefensive 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

6. Patentability StudyFTOTech. SurveyDefensive 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 –...

7. Patentability StudyFTOTech. SurveyDefensive 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)

8. Patentability StudyFTOTech. SurveyDefensive 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

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

10. Patentability StudyFTOTech. SurveyDefensive Publ. Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.20/02/2007 Patentability study –Can I get a patent for my invention?

11. Patentability StudyFTOTech. SurveyDefensive Publ. Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.20/02/2007 Freedom to operate study –Can I market my invention?

12. Patentability StudyFTOTech. SurveyDefensive Publ. Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.20/02/2007 Technology Survey –What do the others do?

13. Patentability StudyFTOTech. SurveyDefensive Publ. Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.20/02/2007 Defensive publication –How can I prevent third parties from patenting something?

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

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

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

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

18. Patentability Study Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.20/02/2007 FTOTech. SurveyDefensive Publ. Patentability study: result –Limited set of documents –Recommendations about the patenting strategy

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

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

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

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

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

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

25. FTO Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.20/02/2007 Patentability StudyTech. SurveyDefensive Publ. Freedom to operate study: actions + continue the development as planned +/- modify the solution +/- accept the risks - negotiate licenses - abandon, change direction

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

37. Defensive Publ. Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.20/02/2007 Patentability StudyFTOTech. Survey Defensive publication: action –If necessary, use your defensive publication to destroy novelty of a competitors patent

38. Patentability StudyFTOTech. SurveyDefensive 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.

39. Patentability StudyFTOTech. SurveyDefensive Publ. Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.20/02/2007 Questions?

40. Patentability StudyFTOTech. SurveyDefensive Publ. Copyright © KATZAROV S.A.20/02/2007 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 Thank You!