Find the prior art that decides whether a patent stands.
Whether you are enforcing a patent or defending against one, the outcome often turns on a single piece of prior art. Our searchers and patent attorneys find it across worldwide patents, technical literature and product evidence, then map it claim by claim, ready for litigation, post-grant review, opposition or licensing.
- Patents, papers, standards and products searched worldwide, in any language
- Claim charts mapping every element to the best references
- Litigation-ready reports for courts, IPR and oppositions
Request a search quote
Share the patent number and your deadline. An attorney replies within one business day with scope, timeline and fees.
One question from both sides: will this patent stand up?
A granted patent is presumed valid, but it can still be revoked if earlier prior art shows the invention was not new or was obvious. Validity and invalidity searches look for that prior art: patents and applications, journal papers, standards, theses, product manuals and other public disclosures dated before the patent's priority date.
Patent owners run a validity search to test a patent before they enforce, license or sell it. Challengers run an invalidity search to defend an infringement claim, file a post-grant challenge or clear a path to market. The search is the same discipline; the goal is different.
At a glance
- Validity search
- Patent owners testing their own patent
- Invalidity search
- Challengers looking to revoke a patent
- Looks for
- Prior art before the priority date
- Tests applied
- Novelty and inventive step (obviousness)
- Used in
- Litigation, IPR, opposition, licensing
- You receive
- Ranked prior art with claim charts
Same search discipline, two different goals.
Tell us which side of the patent you are on. We scope the search, the analysis and the report around that decision.
Validity search
Know your patent's strength before others test it.
- Before asserting the patent against an infringer
- Before licensing or entering negotiations
- Before selling the patent or the portfolio
- When preparing for an expected challenge
- To decide whether to amend or reissue claims
- To support valuation and due diligence
Invalidity search
Find the prior art that knocks out the claims.
- Defending an infringement suit or demand letter
- Filing an IPR, post-grant review or re-examination
- Filing an opposition at the EPO or another office
- Clearing a blocking patent before launch
- Strengthening your position in settlement talks
- Responding to a licensing demand
The moments where one reference changes the outcome.
In disputes and deals, the strength of a patent is negotiated on evidence. The right prior art, found early, sets the terms.
Litigation
Prior art for invalidity contentions, expert reports and trial, on court deadlines.
Post-grant challenges
IPR, post-grant review, re-examination and oppositions built on the strongest references.
Before enforcement
Confirm the claims will survive before you send a demand letter or file suit.
Licensing and settlement
Evidence that shifts the negotiation, whichever side of the table you are on.
Clearing market entry
Remove or narrow a blocking patent found in a freedom to operate review.
M&A and investment
Test the patents behind a deal before value is placed on them.
From target patent to litigation-ready evidence.
Every search is planned around the claims you need to attack or defend, and the forum where the evidence will be used.
- 01
Claim analysis
Claims broken into elements, with their construction agreed.
- 02
Priority and strategy
Effective dates, forum and search plan confirmed.
- 03
Patent search
Worldwide patents and applications searched in layers.
- 04
Beyond patents
Papers, standards, theses, products and archived pages.
- 05
Claim charts
Best references mapped to every claim element.
- 06
Report and support
Findings walked through with your counsel.
Invalidity contentions, IPR petitions and opposition periods all have fixed dates. Tell us yours and we plan the search, including rush options, so the evidence arrives in time for counsel to use it.
Share your deadlineWhat you receive, and how it is used.
Reports are written for counsel and built to be used directly in pleadings, petitions and negotiations.
What the report includes
Evidence, organised for use.
- Claim breakdown and the construction applied
- Search strategy, databases and date limits
- Prior art ranked by relevance, with dates verified
- Element-by-element claim charts
- Key passages and figures highlighted
- Combinations for obviousness arguments
- Non-patent and product evidence, with sources
- Full reference list with copies
How counsel uses it
Ready for the forum you are in.
- Invalidity contentions and expert reports
- IPR and post-grant review petitions
- EPO and other national oppositions
- Ex parte re-examination requests
- Responses to demand letters
- Licensing and settlement negotiations
- Pre-enforcement and portfolio reviews
- M&A and investment due diligence
Technical depth in the fields shaping what comes next.
Our attorneys and technical specialists work in the technologies where filing activity is growing fastest, so prior art is judged by people who understand the technology.
Artificial intelligence & ML
Models, training methods and AI applicationsSemiconductors
Chip design, fabrication and packagingTelecom, 5G & IoT
Wireless standards, networks and connected devicesElectric vehicles & mobility
Batteries, charging and drive systemsClean energy & climate tech
Solar, storage, hydrogen and carbon captureRobotics & automation
Industrial robots, control and machine visionMedical devices & digital health
Devices, diagnostics and health softwareBiotechnology & genomics
Biologics, gene editing and sequencingPharmaceuticals
Formulations, processes and new usesFintech & digital payments
Payments, security and financial platformsConsumer electronics & wearables
Devices, sensors and user interfacesAdvanced materials & chemistry
Materials, polymers and chemical processesSearches built for the courtroom and the negotiating table.
Engineers, scientists and patent attorneys work on every search together, so the references we find hold up under scrutiny.
Attorney-reviewed findings
References judged against the legal tests in your forum.
Subject-matter searchers
Specialists in your technology, from semiconductors to biologics.
No source left out
Worldwide patents, non-English art, standards and product evidence.
Court-ready claim charts
Clear, element-by-element charts counsel can file.
Built around deadlines
Rush searches planned around court and office dates.
Confidentiality
Strict non-disclosure protocols, and work structured to support privilege with your counsel.
Questions about validity searches.
Short answers to what counsel and IP teams ask us most.
Facing a patent dispute?
Send us the patent number and your deadline. We will reply with a search plan within one business day.
Request a search quote01What is the difference between a validity and an invalidity search?
They use the same methods. A validity search is run by the patent owner to test the strength of their own patent. An invalidity search is run by a challenger to find prior art that can revoke or narrow the claims.
02What counts as prior art?
Anything made public before the patent's priority date: patents and applications, journal papers, conference proceedings, standards, theses, product manuals, websites and public use or sale, depending on the law of the country.
03Can you support IPR and opposition proceedings?
Yes. We search and chart prior art for inter partes review, post-grant review, re-examination and oppositions at the EPO and other offices, working with your counsel.
04Do you search non-patent literature?
Always. Some of the strongest invalidity art is in papers, standards, product documentation and archived web pages, which patent-only searches miss.
05How long does a search take?
It depends on the technology, the number of claims and the depth required. We confirm a timeline in our proposal and offer rush searches for court and office deadlines.
06What if no invalidating art is found?
That is valuable evidence of strength. For owners it supports enforcement and licensing; for challengers it informs settlement, design-around or licensing decisions.
07Is the work confidential?
Yes. Every search runs under strict confidentiality, and we can work through your counsel so the work is structured to support privilege where available.
The right prior art changes the case.
Share the patent number and your deadline. An attorney will reply within one business day.