Patent prior art search (pre-application, examination request search)
A prior art search for patents is an investigation to understand what prior patents exist in the relevant technical field before filing a patent application or requesting examination.
A prior art search is an important investigation conducted before filing a patent application or requesting examination, aimed at understanding what prior patents exist in the relevant technical field to assess the novelty and inventive step of an invention. It is necessary to conduct a thorough search for the following reasons: filing a patent application incurs significant costs [approximately 300,000 yen if using a patent office]. Additionally, requesting examination costs about 200,000 yen. If an application is filed without knowing that the same invention already exists, these costs will be wasted. The amendment to the Patent Law in 2002 established a new provision in Article 36, Paragraph 4, introducing a system for disclosing prior art documents. In other words, if a patent applicant is aware of inventions related to the invention in the application, they must include those prior art documents in the patent specification.
- Company:つばめリサーチ 本社
- Price:Less than 10,000 yen