Dear Sir or Madam

We would like to keep you abreast of new and interesting topics in the field of
patent and technology searches, which is why we are pleased to send you this
newsletter.

01 New search report
02 The return of IP conferences

03 FTO – Weighing up risk and cost

After our appeal in the last newsletter, some of our clients took a closer look at the new format of our search reports. They praised the fresh look, and the fact that the main results of the search can be skim-read and that the report can be easily navigated. This feedback also enabled us to tailor the report even better to the needs of our clients.

This concludes the pilot phase and we look forward to publishing our search reports from 1 October 2021 onwards in the updated format.

Thanks to the improved epidemiological situation, in-person IP conferences are starting to take place again.
We are very much looking forward to participating in the following events and would be delighted to meet you at one of them:

Patents Experts Conference imh  12–13 October 2021 in Vienna
BPIP Conference  25–26 October 2021 in Tel Aviv
VPP autumn conference 28–29 October 2021 Bonn

Swiss Innovation Forum 18 November 2021 in Basle
IP Service World  22–23 November 2021 in Munich

At PATINFO 2021, which was again held as a virtual event, the IPI gave a workshop on the topic Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) – weighing up risk and cost. More than 40 people, mainly from industry, attended and actively took part in the discussion.

The effort and cost involved in clarifying one’s freedom to operate can vary greatly. They are influenced by the product development phase, the complexity of the product, and the markets to be covered – and they should be tailored to the certainty required with regard to these.

In the workshop, we discussed how exactly these factors influence the search strategy and effort, how cost savings, i.e. restrictions in the search strategy, affect the final result, and how the residual risk can be estimated after the search.

We tailor every search to an optimal cost/risk ratio for our clients. Discuss your needs with us – we will be happy to advise you.

Kind regards

Theodor Nyfeler

Head of Patent and Technology Searches

Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property

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