Patent Prior Art Search —
Know What Exists Before
You File
Before investing in a patent application, know what prior art exists. A comprehensive prior art search across Indian and global patent databases identifies existing patents, published applications, and non-patent literature that could block your application or reduce its scope.
Order Prior Art Search
Report delivered within ✅ 5–7 working days
8 Major Patent Databases Covered
A thorough prior art search covers multiple international databases — not just the Indian Patent Office. Missing a single global database could leave key prior art undiscovered.
Indian Patent Office
InPASS — complete IPO patent and application database since 1856
USPTO
US Patent & Trademark Office — largest single-country patent database
Espacenet / EPO
European Patent Office — 130+ million patent documents worldwide
WIPO PATENTSCOPE
PCT applications and national patent collections from 100+ countries
Non-Patent Literature
Scientific journals, conference papers, and technical disclosures (prior art outside patents)
CNIPA
China National Intellectual Property Administration — world's largest filer
Derwent / Lens.org
Enhanced patent analytics platforms for cross-referencing and citation analysis
FTO & Litigation Databases
USPTO PAIR, EPO OPS, Indian court records — for freedom-to-operate searches
4 Types of Patent Search — Which One Do You Need?
🎯 Patentability / Novelty Search
The most common — ordered before filing
🔓 Freedom to Operate (FTO)
Can you commercialise without infringing?
🗺️ State-of-the-Art / Landscape
Technology intelligence and competitor mapping
⚖️ Invalidity / Validity Search
For litigation, licensing negotiation
🌍 International / PCT Search
Before PCT / Paris Convention filing
🧬 Chemical / Pharma / Biotech
Specialised for complex molecule inventions
The Prior Art Search Report — What TaxClue Delivers
Executive Summary
Plain-language summary of the search results — key prior art found, patentability assessment, and recommended next steps. Written for both technical and business audiences.
Prior Art Reference List
Complete list of all relevant patents and publications found, with bibliographic details, abstract, and relevance assessment — categorised as X (highly relevant), Y (relevant in combination), or A (background).
Claim Strategy Recommendations
How to structure your patent claims to navigate around the prior art found. Independent and dependent claim drafting strategy to maximise the scope of protection you can secure.
Patentability Opinion
Our patent agent's written opinion on whether the invention meets novelty, inventive step, and industrial applicability requirements under the Patents Act, 1970 — with legal reasoning and recommendations.
How TaxClue Conducts Your Prior Art Search
Invention Disclosure
You share your invention description with TaxClue. We sign an NDA on request. Our patent agent reviews the disclosure and identifies key inventive features and technical keywords.
Day 1Search Strategy Design
We build a search strategy using IPC / CPC classification codes, keywords, assignee names, and citation mapping across all relevant databases for your technology area.
Day 1–2Database Search
Comprehensive search executed across IPO, USPTO, Espacenet, WIPO, CNIPA, and non-patent literature. Results filtered for relevance by our patent agent.
Day 2–5Report & Opinion
Prior art report compiled with relevance ratings, claim strategy recommendations, and patentability opinion. Delivered as a PDF report with a walkthrough call.
Day 5–7❓ Frequently Asked Questions
It is not legally mandatory — you can file a patent application in India without conducting a prior art search first. However, it is strongly recommended for three reasons: (1) it tells you whether your invention is likely to be granted (novelty check), (2) it helps your patent attorney draft stronger, better-scoped claims that avoid known prior art, and (3) it prevents you from spending ₹20,000–₹80,000 on a patent application that will be rejected because the invention lacks novelty. The Indian Patent Office conducts its own search during examination, but by then you've already committed to the filing cost.
Yes — TaxClue treats all invention disclosures as strictly confidential. We sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) on request before any invention details are shared. Additionally, the patent agent–client relationship carries confidentiality obligations under professional rules. We recommend filing a provisional patent application immediately after the prior art search if you want statutory protection for the disclosure date — this establishes your priority date before detailed discussions with manufacturers or investors.
The Indian Patent Office conducts an examination search after you file — typically 12–48 months after filing. Our prior art search is conducted before you file, giving you the information you need to (1) decide whether to file at all, (2) draft stronger claims, and (3) prepare responses to likely examiner objections. The IPO's search is limited to their own database; TaxClue's search covers 8+ major global databases including non-patent literature that the IPO may not systematically search.
Finding prior art doesn't necessarily mean your invention is not patentable. Our patent agent analyses the relevance of prior art found and provides a claim strategy — ways to differentiate your invention from the prior art through more specific claim language, combination claims, or focusing on a novel aspect of the invention that the prior art does not disclose. Many successful patents are granted in fields with significant prior art — the key is precise claim drafting that captures what is genuinely new.
⚠️ What Happens If You Skip the Prior Art Search
Filing without a prior art search creates these risks:
- Application rejected for lack of novelty after 18–36 months of waiting — filing fees spent with nothing to show
- Claims granted that are too broad — later invalidated during infringement proceedings against a competitor
- Commercialising a product without FTO search — potential infringement of existing patents
- Missing design-around opportunities that could have led to a stronger, unchallenged patent
- Wasting complete specification filing fees (₹16,000–₹80,000 in govt. fees) on a doomed application
Complete Patent Services by TaxClue
Provisional Patent Filing
Establish your priority date while the invention is still being developed.
Learn More →Patent Drafting & Filing
Complete specification drafted by patent agents — all technology areas.
Learn More →Complete Specification Filing
Convert your provisional into a complete specification — within 12 months.
Learn More →Patent Prior Art Search — Know Before You File
Don't file blind. TaxClue's patent prior art search covers 8 major global databases, delivers a written patentability opinion, and gives you claim strategy recommendations — all before you spend on the application.
🔒 Confidential — NDA on request · 4.9★ · 5–7 Day Delivery · Written Patentability Opinion