Clearance search

A clearance search (also referred to as an infringement search) attempts to uncover patents issued within the last 20 years that may pose an infringement risk to a product. Preferably, the clearance search is performed before the release of the product. We review the uncovered patents of the clearance search and inform you whether any uncovered patent is a potential risk. If a patent is a potential risk, we can provide an opinion letter to you why we think your product does not infringe the uncovered patent and/or make recommendations on how to avoid the risk as the product is being developed. The goal of a clearance search is to uncover patents and patent application publications that are a potential infringement risk before a product is released. A clearance search is not perfect, but it increases the likelihood of avoiding a potential problem before a patent owner contacts you. Additionally, it is typically good practice to perform a clearance search when the product design is finished, even if a patentability search was previously performed.