Why Is A Patent Search Important?

1.		Find out if your invention is patentable. Before you invest any more time, make sure that no one else has patented it. Don't invest time and money only to find out someone else already patented your invention.

2.		Avoid patent infringement. A thorough patent search will prevent lawsuits from infringing on someone else's patent.

3.		Find similar patents. Read the patents of similar products to get ideas to improve your design. If you are an individual inventor, you may have no idea what other experts in the field have already developed. A patent search will bring you up to date on the state of the art.

4.		Protect your patent. When writing a patent application, an attorney should know what the most similar patents cover. A patent can be invalidated if you don't find similar prior art patents. If you file a patent without a comprehensive patent search, you risk another previous inventor coming forward and invalidating your invention.

5.		Marketing your invention. If you don't yet have a patent, the best way to sell a license is a strong patentability opinion from a patent attorney. A strong patent search will show that the idea can be patented and licensed.