Patent Searches and Strategies

When it comes to the question in which foreign countries, if any, patent protection should be obtained, together with our clients we compare and combine our respective experience and information about the situation prevailing in respect of each foreign country in which protection is contemplated.

We provide professional patent strategy advice and counseling on the most effective approach in materializing your inventions, taking into account each case independently, i.e. whether the invention in question should be protected by filing an application for Bulgarian Patent, coupled with or supplemented by Utility model registration in Bulgaria, or aiming regionally at European patent or globally at PCT application.

As a part of our patent strategic approach, we also consult foreign patent agents from our globally established collaboration with well-acclaimed IP companies in the foreign countries in which protection is contemplated on the question of whether patent protection could be sought in that country.

Prior art patentability search can prevent you from wasting money on a patent application if the search uncovers prior art references that are likely to preclude the patenting of your invention. Moreover, patent searches on prior art are indispensable part of the patent drafting process. 

A prior art search should extend to all relevant non-patent literature, including technical and scientific journals, textbooks, conference proceedings, theses, websites, company brochures, trade publications and newspaper articles.

Assistance of a competent patent agent is often crucial for a clear determination of what is included in the prior art. With our significant background in the patent domain, you can rely on our prior art searches and the legal opinion concerning them.

In addition to this, we can also conduct Freedom to Operate (FTO) searches to keep our clients up-to-date with the patent situation in their technical field and support them in avoiding infringing patent rights. Not only FTO searches should be high on patent applicant’s agenda, but also on startup companies’ one.