A key aspect of the patent system is to support and drive innovation. In exchange for their time-limited patent rights, the patent holder is required to describe their invention with sufficient detail to enable the skilled person to implement the claimed invention. Therefore, patent databases represent a vast resource of high-quality technical information.
In addition to technical information, patent databases offer insights into a company’s patenting activities and innovation trends of a competitor, and can help identify business opportunities such as potential customers or “gaps” in the innovation landscape.
Importantly, the content of patent databases is constantly changing as new patent applications are published and existing applications are examined. It can be challenging to stay on top of these developments to ensure that your data is up to date and that the insights that you extract from the data are fresh.
A competitor monitoring service provides ongoing monitoring of a third party’s patenting activities to let you know when any new applications filed by the third party are published. In addition to acquiring up to date insights on innovation strategies, being alerted quickly to new publications ensures that you can take pro-active steps to challenge the competitor’s patent applications if appropriate by, for example, taking advantage of time sensitive procedures, such as filing third party observations or an opposition.
It is also possible to monitor individual patent applications within a competitor’s portfolio to provide alerts on key prosecution events such as the filing of an examination report response and entry into the national phases of International Patent Applications.
It is also insightful to monitor a competitor’s trade mark and design filing activities. This reveals their future plans and areas of activity ahead of time compared with regular news monitoring.
At Scintilla we offer a range of different IP analysis services, including competitor monitoring, technology research and freedom to operate risk assessments. If you wish to find out more, contact us at hello[@]scintilla-ip[.]com.
At Scintilla, we help innovative companies get a grip on their intellectual property. Our unique commercial approach combines registration of patents and trade marks with strategic input so that IP can be a springboard for business growth. If you would like to discuss your IP needs, do contact us or book a free initial consultation!