Sulzer Patente - Searches and monitoring of competitors

Searches and monitoring

Searches and monitoring of competitors

In a search, the prior art is determined for a specific technical field or for a specific technical product. Whereas the prior art as cited by the inventor is frequently sufficient for patent applications, we also conduct extensive searches in special cases, for instance as part of opposition proceedings, or in connection with questions of infringement and nullity actions

In such cases, the search will not only cover patent publications, but also documents from technical and scientific literature.

Monitoring of competitors' activities

We carry out monitoring of competitors' activities for our clients. Newly published patent applications and newly granted patents are monitored by means of a search profile and the publications found are collated. The search files are prepared in cooperation with our clients and include, for example:

the kind of application (European patent application (EP), international patent application (PCT) and/or national application in Germany (DE));
the technical field or the corresponding patent classes according to the international patent classification (IPC);
names of applicants (corporations) or of inventors;
keywords;
in addition, on request, we monitor the progress of a specific application.