Assisted Searches
Get to the crux of the issue at the IPI together with a patent expert in your specialist field.
For IP professionals
This is the portal for professionals working in the field of intellectual property. Here you'll find direct access to all necessary resources.
Quick links
- Trade Mark Database
- Register changes for trade marks
- Swissreg
- Madrid Monitor
- TMview
- E-trademark
- International trade mark registration
- Trade Mark Guidelines (German, French, Italian)
- Classification tool for trade marks
- Trade mark examination support tool
- Trade marks: Costs and fees
- Trade marks: WIPO fee calculator
- Cancellation procedure for trade marks on the grounds of non-use
- Protected public signs: Abbreviations
- Protected public signs: Other signs (emblems)
- Directory of Intellectual Property Offices
- Trade marks: News Service Archive
- Patents: Patent Examination Guidelines (German, French)
- Patents: Fees
Patent searches
Patent documents contain well-structured information on companies and new technologies, which you can access via public databases. It is therefore worth carrying out a search in patent specifications. You can either do this yourself or with the help of the IPI's search services.
Why carry out a patent search?
Patent specifications are published in various databases worldwide 18 months after filing – meaning you have free, valuable, up-to-date information on competitors, suppliers and the state of the art any time you need it. You can make good use of this information by carrying out a patent search:
- As a source of inspiration. You might find technical solutions that you'd never previously thought of.
- To avoid reinventing the wheel. Patent searches immediately reveal if somebody has already had the same idea as you.
- To help determine patentability before applying for a patent. Patent searches show whether your invention is new and inventive and therefore patentable.
- To protect you from infringing the patent rights of others. Do you use patent-protected inventions for your product or process? This is a question you should ask yourself irrespective of your own patents.
- To keep an eye on your competitors’ inventions. Patent literature can give you valuable information for your own activities.
Searching for patents yourself
You can search for patents yourself in various online databases and obtain an initial overview for free.
