Perform Searches
For competitors or potential partners
IP documents also provide information about the creator or inventor and
the owner of the IP rights. Thus, by performing an IP search you may discover
or monitor the IP-related activity of other players or competitors, and
identify potential business partners. In many cases, a correlation may
be established between the number of patents a company is granted and
its level of innovation.
By examining the patenting activity in a specific field, you may find
who the major players are in terms of research and development of new
products and processes. You can also see where your competitor has sought
to legally protect and presumably market their invention. Patent documents
also contain a citation documents field that lists those patent documents
that resemble the patent application and either support or invalidate
it. Combined with other relevant business information, the analysis of
a patent citation field is considered a very powerful tool for identifying
potential patent licensing opportunities or business partners.
By making a trade-mark search you may also discover and monitor the
trade-mark related activity and presumably the branding
strategy of different players for a specific range of wares or services.
