Patent Prior Art Search & Patentability Analysis

Before filing a patent application, a prior art search identifies existing patents and publications that may affect your invention's novelty. An early search saves significant cost by preventing rejection — and helps refine claims to maximize protection scope.

Types of Patent Searches

🔍 Patentability / Prior Art Search

Most common search before filing. Identifies existing patents, published applications and scientific literature that describe the same or similar invention. Determines if your invention is novel and non-obvious.

⚠️ Freedom to Operate (FTO) Search

Checks if commercializing your product or process would infringe any existing in-force patents. Critical before launching a new product — especially for pharma, medical devices and electronics.

🏢 State of the Art Search

Comprehensive landscape of all patents and literature in a technology field. Used for R&D strategy, identifying white spaces and competitor activity monitoring.

📋 Invalidity / Validity Search

Searches for prior art to challenge (invalidate) a competitor's granted patent, or to defend the validity of your own patent in litigation.

Databases We Search

🇮🇳 InPASS — Indian Patent Advanced Search System (ipindia.gov.in)
🇺🇸 USPTO — US Patent and Trademark Office full-text database
🌍 Espacenet / EPO — European Patent Office global patent database
🌐 WIPO PATENTSCOPE — PCT international applications and national collections
🔎 Google Patents — Over 120 million patents from 100+ patent offices
📚 Scientific Literature — PubMed, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, arXiv

What You Get in the Search Report

  • Executive Summary — Overall patentability assessment: High / Medium / Low probability
  • List of Closest Prior Art — Top 10–20 references most relevant to your invention
  • Claim Differentiation Analysis — How your invention differs from each reference
  • Recommended Claim Strategy — Suggested scope and angle for drafting claims
  • IPC Classification — International Patent Classification codes applicable to your invention
  • Filing Recommendations — Whether to file, modify or abandon the application

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a prior art search mandatory before filing an Indian patent application?
No, it is not legally mandatory. You can file a patent application without conducting a prior art search. However, it is strongly recommended because: (1) A search helps identify whether your invention is novel — if it is not, filing is a waste of time and money; (2) The Examiner's First Examination Report (FER) will cite prior art anyway — a pre-filing search allows you to anticipate objections and draft stronger claims; (3) The Indian Patent Office issues FERs with extensive prior art citations and responding to these without a prior search strategy is difficult.
How long does a patent search take?
A focused prior art search for a single invention typically takes 3–7 business days depending on the technology area. Complex chemical or pharmaceutical searches may take longer due to the volume of literature. Landscape searches covering an entire technology field can take 2–3 weeks. We provide a draft report within the agreed timeline for your review and discussion before finalizing.

Know Before You File

A prior art search before filing can save you Rs. 50,000+ in wasted filing fees and prosecution costs if your invention turns out to not be novel. Get a professional search report with filing recommendations.

Request Patent Search Call +91-95977-46476