{"id":8516,"date":"2023-05-15T15:12:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-15T13:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/preprod.tkminnovation.io\/guide-prior-art-research-and-patents-the-guide\/"},"modified":"2026-11-03T16:42:53","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T15:42:53","slug":"patent-prior-art-search-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tkminnovation.io\/en\/patent-prior-art-search-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"[GUIDE] Prior-art research and patents: the guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"8516\" class=\"elementor elementor-8516 elementor-738\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7edc9d5f e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7edc9d5f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-78f2720 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"78f2720\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>CONTENTS<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><a style=\"color: #fffaf8; text-decoration: underline;\"<a href=\"#partie-1\">Patent prior-art research: definition<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a style=\"color: #fffaf8; text-decoration: underline;\"<a href=\"#partie-2\">Patent prior-art research: the steps to follow<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a style=\"color: #fffaf8; text-decoration: underline;\"<a href=\"#partie-3\">How can you use the third-party observation period to block a problematic patent application?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-65c1e2e7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"65c1e2e7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>How can you make sure a given invention is genuinely novel? <br \/>How do you go about making sure your patent application gets accepted?<br \/>Conversely, how can you use the examination period to block a competitor\u2019s patent application that could prove problematic?<\/p><p>Follow this guide to understand everything about patent prior-art research!<\/p><div><p><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bfe9523 elementor-widget elementor-widget-menu-anchor\" data-id=\"bfe9523\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"menu-anchor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-menu-anchor\" id=\"partie-1\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-979aced e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"979aced\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10757f5 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"10757f5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">PATENT PRIOR-ART RESEARCH: DEFINITION<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0b25db0 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-view-default elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon\" data-id=\"0b25db0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"icon.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon\">\n\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-search\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M505 442.7L405.3 343c-4.5-4.5-10.6-7-17-7H372c27.6-35.3 44-79.7 44-128C416 93.1 322.9 0 208 0S0 93.1 0 208s93.1 208 208 208c48.3 0 92.7-16.4 128-44v16.3c0 6.4 2.5 12.5 7 17l99.7 99.7c9.4 9.4 24.6 9.4 33.9 0l28.3-28.3c9.4-9.4 9.4-24.6.1-34zM208 336c-70.7 0-128-57.2-128-128 0-70.7 57.2-128 128-128 70.7 0 128 57.2 128 128 0 70.7-57.2 128-128 128z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a420689 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a420689\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>To be admissible, a patent application must demonstrate the <strong>innovative and novel character<\/strong> of the process, material or technology you wish to patent. Indeed, it is impossible to patent something that already exists in the public domain.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before claiming a monopoly on a technology for 20 years, you will therefore have to <strong>prove and demonstrate that you are not claiming something that has already been published, in any form whatsoever,<\/strong><strong>before the date on which you filed your patent application<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The office responsible for granting or refusing the patent generally takes between 2 and 5 years to examine your application.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The key steps in the life of a patent<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The patent application is filed<\/strong> with the competent office (the INPI in France, or the EPO for Europe, for example). The application is given a timestamp.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>At +6-10 months, <\/strong>the examiner issues their prior-art search report. If a defect in patentability is noted, the company has 3 months to respond and present arguments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>At +18 months<\/strong>, the secrecy period ends. The patent application becomes accessible in patent databases. Your competitors learn the nature of your invention. They then have a 3-month period to challenge your application and prevent you from getting the patent. This is known as the \u201cthird-party observation period\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>At +2-5 years<\/strong>, and if all the patentability criteria are met, the patent is granted. You then hold a 20-year monopoly on the claimed invention \u2014 counted from the filing date \u2014 in the country where the application was filed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><div style=\"background-color: #fffaf8; padding: 20px; border: 1px solid #f1e7e2; border-radius: 8px;\"> <p style=\"margin: 0; font-weight: 400; color: #0f102c;\"> <em><strong>Good to know<\/strong>: in France, since 2020 it has been possible to oppose a granted patent with the INPI. In the same spirit as filing third-party observations, <strong>companies have a 9-month period, from the patent\u2019s grant date, to oppose it<\/strong>. If the opposition is well-founded, this step can lead to the total or partial revocation of the patent, or to it being maintained in an amended form.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dcd1a70 elementor-widget elementor-widget-menu-anchor\" data-id=\"dcd1a70\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"menu-anchor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-menu-anchor\" id=\"partie-2\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3d9874 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c3d9874\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-40c0cf4 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"40c0cf4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">PATENT PRIOR-ART RESEARCH: THE STEPS TO FOLLOW<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d6f083f elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-view-default elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon\" data-id=\"d6f083f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"icon.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon\">\n\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-map-signs\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M507.31 84.69L464 41.37c-6-6-14.14-9.37-22.63-9.37H288V16c0-8.84-7.16-16-16-16h-32c-8.84 0-16 7.16-16 16v16H56c-13.25 0-24 10.75-24 24v80c0 13.25 10.75 24 24 24h385.37c8.49 0 16.62-3.37 22.63-9.37l43.31-43.31c6.25-6.26 6.25-16.38 0-22.63zM224 496c0 8.84 7.16 16 16 16h32c8.84 0 16-7.16 16-16V384h-64v112zm232-272H288v-32h-64v32H70.63c-8.49 0-16.62 3.37-22.63 9.37L4.69 276.69c-6.25 6.25-6.25 16.38 0 22.63L48 342.63c6 6 14.14 9.37 22.63 9.37H456c13.25 0 24-10.75 24-24v-80c0-13.25-10.75-24-24-24z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dcdf11b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"dcdf11b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div>\n<p>To carry out their prior-art search, the examiner will first check that the claimed innovation does not already exist in existing patents, or in patent applications filed before yours. If they find an innovation similar to yours, already claimed or merely mentioned by a third party, a lack of novelty will be noted and your patent application will be rejected.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Filing<strong> a patent application takes effort, time and money. You <\/strong>have every reason to identify potential pitfalls very early on. This notably means systematically searching for any document that might already have made public the subject matter of the invention or the process you are about to claim as your own.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On this point, many people settle for a search of patent databases using a few keywords. That\u2019s a mistake, because <strong>it is indeed any form of disclosure, meaning putting into the public domain any key piece of information relating to the subject matter of your claim, that can be used as prior art against your patent application<\/strong>. This information can just as easily be found in scientific publications, web articles, conferences\u2026<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ideally, you should therefore explore the entire body of literature, beyond patent databases alone.  <strong>Regardless of the communication channel, was the information made public?<\/strong> That is THE criterion that will prevail during a prior-art search.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Disclosures: be careful not to shoot yourself in the foot\u2026 with a spoiler!<br \/><\/strong>This happens far more often than you\u2019d think\u2026<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s imagine you filed your patent application on June 1st. Except that on May 31st, you were a guest on a radio show, during which you disclosed substantial elements of the technology (process, ingredients\u2026) included in your list of technical claims\u2026 This sharing in the public space could be used by the Patent Office and\/or by a competitor to deny you the novelty criterion and, as a result, reject your patent application. <strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>This disclosure can come from you, but also from a partner involved in your R&amp;D work\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hence the obvious value of having all stakeholders sign a <strong>strict confidentiality agreement, preserving your competitive advantage of course, but also, where applicable, your chances of being able to claim, through a filed patent, a monopoly on exploiting your innovation.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&gt; Join our <a href=\"https:\/\/tkminnovation.io\/en\/technology-monitoring-webinars\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>webinar &#8220;Best practices in patent intelligence monitoring&#8221;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-afff8d5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-menu-anchor\" data-id=\"afff8d5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"menu-anchor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-menu-anchor\" id=\"partie-3\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f28d4f3 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"f28d4f3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4ef48a6 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4ef48a6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">HOW CAN YOU USE THE THIRD-PARTY OBSERVATION PERIOD TO BLOCK A PROBLEMATIC PATENT APPLICATION?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a587460 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-view-default elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon\" data-id=\"a587460\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"icon.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon\">\n\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-check-circle\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M504 256c0 136.967-111.033 248-248 248S8 392.967 8 256 119.033 8 256 8s248 111.033 248 248zM227.314 387.314l184-184c6.248-6.248 6.248-16.379 0-22.627l-22.627-22.627c-6.248-6.249-16.379-6.249-22.628 0L216 308.118l-70.059-70.059c-6.248-6.248-16.379-6.248-22.628 0l-22.627 22.627c-6.248 6.248-6.248 16.379 0 22.627l104 104c6.249 6.249 16.379 6.249 22.628.001z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e40ede4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e40ede4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>You may also need to carry out a prior-art search on a competitor\u2019s patent. But your objective will be very different.<\/p>\n<p>When the patent application is made public, 18 months after filing, <strong>you have 3 months to bring to the examining office\u2019s attention any information likely to hinder the grant of<\/strong> a problematic patent, particularly regarding a lack of inventive step.<\/p>\n<p>The working method will be the same. The purpose, however, will be very different. You will then be looking for any document or public communication predating the competitor\u2019s patent, and here more than ever your exploration will cover every source of information you can review. Indeed, if a similar, earlier patent exists, there is, in principle, a fairly high probability that the examiner will identify it. You will then need to carry out a much broader search within a limited time frame.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Without the right tools, these searches will take you a considerable amount of time<\/strong>, require access to a variety of databases, and potentially confront you with a very large volume of information.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u27a1\ufe0f Also read: <a href=\"https:\/\/tkminnovation.io\/en\/industrial-property-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Industrial property: how can you best protect your innovations?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>For an <a href=\"https:\/\/tkminnovation.io\/en\/ai-and-patent-law-changes\/\">IP department<\/a> that is in principle already quite busy, meeting the deadline to establish prior art against a patent can prove to be a real challenge.<\/p>\n<p>For start-ups and SMEs looking to file a patent, the prior-art search carried out by an individual protection firm can prove incomplete, as it will focus on the closest patents, leaving out other sources of information.<\/p>\n<p>Designed to facilitate and speed up the analysis of heterogeneous data, <a href=\"https:\/\/tkminnovation.io\/en\/solutions\/\">TKM Platform<\/a> is a valuable ally for anyone looking to carry out a patent prior-art search.<\/p>\n<p>Our multi-source data search, visualization and analysis software solution indeed makes it possible to get a 360\u00b0 view of a given field.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><div style=\"background-color: #fffaf8; padding: 20px; border: 1px solid #f1e7e2; border-radius: 8px;\"> <p style=\"margin: 0; font-weight: 400; color: #0f102c;\"> With a tool like this, you put every chance on your side to <strong>increase your odds of getting your patents granted, or conversely, of blocking a problematic application<\/strong> from a competitor.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In addition, you can benefit from a mapping of your strategic environment, complementing the prior-art search. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e9c5d53 elementor-cta--skin-cover elementor-animated-content elementor-bg-transform elementor-bg-transform-zoom-in elementor-widget elementor-widget-call-to-action\" data-id=\"e9c5d53\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"call-to-action.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__bg-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__bg elementor-bg lazyload\" style=\"background-image:inherit;\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"homepage_TKM veille technologique\" data-bg-image=\"url(https:\/\/tkminnovation.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/homepage_TKM-veille-technologique.png)\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__bg-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__description elementor-cta__content-item elementor-content-item elementor-animated-item--grow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWould you like more information?\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__button-wrapper elementor-cta__content-item elementor-content-item elementor-animated-item--grow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-cta__button elementor-button elementor-size-\" href=\"https:\/\/tkminnovation.io\/en\/contact-tkm-innovation\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tContact us\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A preliminary step before filing a patent application, prior-art research should let you make sure there is no pre-existing element that could prevent you from getting a favorable response to your patent application. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8518,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[198],"tags":[201],"class_list":["post-8516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-patent"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>[GUIDE] Prior-art research and patents: the guide | TKM | Plateforme de veille technologique IA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How to make sure an invention is genuinely novel. Discover the definition and key steps of a patent prior-art search.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tkminnovation.io\/en\/patent-prior-art-search-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"[GUIDE] Prior-art research and patents: the guide | TKM | Plateforme de veille technologique IA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How to make sure an invention is genuinely novel. 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