Search and Advisory Service
As the commercial arm of the Intellectual Property Office, we help business and publicly funded bodies take decisions about intellectual property (IP) - because we know that IP can offer both an opportunity and a threat.
We search IP databases for you, give basic advice if you are considering making a trade mark application and we offer the use of our trained mediators if you are involved in an IP dispute. Our customers come to us because of our experience in the IP field, our credibility within the industry and proven results.
The Search and Advisory Service provides a fast, confidential and high-quality service - generally turning round search requests in 10 working days.
You can find out more about each individual service in the table below or alternatively, contact us.
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
| Trade mark search and advice Important notice of closure, 12 December 2008 | If you are thinking of applying to register a trade mark, we can give you confidential advice on whether your mark would be acceptable. We will also search and notify you of any earlier filed marks which are likely to be confused with your trade mark. |
| Designs search Important notice of closure, 12 December 2008 | To help you decide whether your design is worth registering or to help check the validity of an existing registered design. |
| Patentability search | To help you decide whether your invention is likely to be patentable i.e. whether it is new or whether it is obvious in the light of prior art. The search results can help you decide how you should draft your patent claims. |
| Freedom-to-operate patent search | This search will give you the information to help you establish whether a product or process may infringe somebody else’s patent. |
| Patent validity search | A comprehensive search to help you check whether a granted patent (whether it belongs to you or not) is valid with respect to it being new or obvious in the light of prior art. |
| Grant assessment searches | A bespoke service for organisations responsible for issuing grants for R&D projects. According to your needs, we report on the level of innovation of the project or the likelihood of anything patentable arising from the proposed work. This information can assist your grant assessment process. |
| Mediation Service | We offer accredited mediators and/or accommodation for the mediation process, so that parties can settle IP disputes by mutual consent. This provides a quick and cost-effective alternative to litigation. |