Breaking: Freedom to Operate

FTO reviews fall into this category. The stakes are high; ensuring that there is a low risk of a new product or process doesn't infringe existing patents is crucial to protecting investments, avoiding costly litigation and can mean the difference between success and failure for an entire business. 

But, the process can be riddled with challenges that complicate the workflow and increase the risk of errors and cause delays. 

The pain points: the user perspective 

We spoke to a patent attorney from a leading IP law firm who knows these challenges all too well. Here are some of their pain points: 

1. Cumbersome data management: Traditionally, search results are imported into large Excel spreadsheets. These spreadsheets are difficult to navigate and interact with, making it hard to organise and analyse the data effectively. The sheer volume of information makes it easy to miss critical details, leading to potential oversights. 

2. Difficulty in verifying patent statuses: One of the most challenging aspects of FTO searches is verifying the current status of patents. Determining whether patents have expired, lapsed, or been amended often requires checking multiple national patent registers, a task that is both tedious and time-consuming. This fragmented process increases the risk of relying on outdated or inaccurate information. 

3. Lack of efficient collaboration: FTO searches often involve input from various stakeholders, often colleagues or clients. However, the lack of efficient tools for collaboration made it difficult to share findings, discuss risk levels, and ensure that everyone was aligned. Communicating complex patent information to different people, particularly those unfamiliar with patent law, added an additional layer of complexity. 

The solution: A new approach 

To overcome these challenges, the patent attorney had transformed the way they did the assessments. Here’s how: 

• Streamlined Data Management: The team organises search results, and adds risk levels, comments, tags, and other critical data for each result. This integrated approach ensures that all information is captured and accessible, reducing the risk of oversights and making the analysis process far more efficient. 

  

• Direct access to patent registers: Checking national patent registers to verify the up-to-date status of patents - whether they have expired, lapsed, or been amended - is crucial. By swiftly discounting irrelevant patents, the attorney can focus on what truly matters, improving the accuracy and reliability of their analyses.

  

• Enhanced collaboration and communication: Sharing and discussing findings with colleagues and clients has been prioritised. Using visual indicators like risk triangles or category tags on an intuitive family tree display giving intuitive overviews of the analysis, makes communicating complex information simple.

  

Welcome to the new world in which FTO reviews are not an overwhelming experience.

With Patently, you can turn a traditionally cumbersome process into one that is efficient, accurate, and collaborative. Whether you’re dealing with massive datasets, verifying patent statuses, or needing to communicate intricate details, Patently is here to simplify your work. 

Here is what one of our users say: 

"Patently has transformed our FTO workflow.” 

And from another Patently user:

"The ability to upload and manage additional documentation, like claim charts and translations, within Patently, ensures that all relevant information is centralised and accessible. This coupled with the team collaboration capabilities massively enhances our efficiency and coherence." 

Arrange a demo today using this link or visit patently.com to learn more and explore how you can use Patently Projects for FTO.