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PATENT SEARCHES |
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Patent novelty searches are fundamentally divided in 4 different types, requiring extremely variable times and approach strategies.
The search on the individual document enables to obtain the full copy of the text of an Italian or foreign patent, be it in the application state or already granted, starting from the knowledge of its salient data, i.e. application, publication or concession number.
The search by familyenables to obtain all bibliographic references connected to an Italian or foreign patent, which originated from it in the process of territorial extension of the exclusive, starting from the knowledge of its salient data.
The name search, which may be conducted nationally or internationally, enables to obtain all bibliographic references connected to the name of an Inventor or patent Holder.
Search by subject, extremely laborious and difficult, enables to obtain, internationally, the bibliographic references of patents pertaining to a specific technical sector. This enables to assess the state of the art with respect to a given technical solution pertaining to a device, an apparatus or an industrial method. It allows to obtain a general view of the "state of the art", i.e. to obtain information on the knowledge acquired by competitor companies in one's industry; to verify whether and where one's product can legitimately be produced and marketed without infringing others' rights; and to evaluate the degree of novelty and originality of one's technical solution in light of a possible filing of a patent application.
NOTE: Novelty searches among patents will not retrieve documents filed in the 18 previous months whose text, due to legal requirements, remains secret and inaccessible to the public. This period of "darkness" tends to extend to the 20-22 months prior to the date of the search due to the time required to update databases. |
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