Researchers, Faculty, Students, SMEs and companies most often expend much resources to obtain background information relating to their chosen areas of research and in developing new products. Our Patent.Assist project seeks to facilitate the search of existing knowledge (prior art information) to facilitate research work and enhance the potential patentability with its related economic and social benefits of research outcomes. Our uniquely designed services include:

Patent Search

Is your invention new and inventive? We search patent and/or non-patent literature published before your invention. This provides information to help determine the viability of your invention thus helping you make an informed decision on whether should invest in filing a patent application or not.
For a patent to be successfully granted, it must disclose a new invention. A patentability search (also known as a novelty or pre-filing search) aims to uncover documents in the patent and non-patent literature that are similar or identical to your proposed invention and may prevent your patent application from being granted.

Patent search is conducted to ascertain whether the proposed novel and inventive details of the product have been disclosed in the public domain. The results can also help with drafting the patent application.

Our patent search services can be tailored, which allows us to meet individual client needs.

Patent Analysis

Clients may choose a patent analysis service in addition to the patent search to significantly facilitate drafting of the literature review chapter of their research report.

Are you writing a thesis or a research proposal? Do you need up to date technical information to guide your research? This search is helpful in understanding how others have overcome a particular technical problem, as well as indicating avenues that could be advanced on, and those that may be dead-ends. Thus, helping to avoid the problem of wasting funds on research (e.g. reinventing the wheel), allowing research to be applied in those areas that could prove most productive. Researchers can use patent information in their review of literature for a much more current appreciation of the field of study.

We carry out an in-depth and high intelligence analysis under this service to determine trends in a particular field of interest.

Freedom To Operate

Freedom to Operate (FTO) is an analysis to determine whether a product, technology or invention may infringe on someone else’s patent claims.

When we carry out an FTO for you, we give you (the inventor or company) a list of patents upon which your product, services or technology could be infringing on and a percentage of how safe it is to operate in a particular country, continent etc.

Whether you are looking to develop, launch, import or export a new product we provide specialist searches covering all technologies. Once a final product has been developed and made ready for market, an infringement search can be used to identify whether the aspects of the product fall within the monopoly covered by one or more third party patents.

It is advisable for FTO searches to be conducted prior to launching a product and depending on the stage of development of the product, FTP search results may also provide details of obstructive claims that could be fed into redevelopment in order to design around such obstructions.

It’s important to have an infringement search carried out if you are to be seen to be “due diligent” and not be accused of “wilful infringement” (defined as a total disregard for third party patents) which can result in more extensive damages.

Businesses may access our “Freedom–to- operate” patent search services to obtain technical solutions to day-to-day technical challenges.

Drafting

We assist you with the drafting of your complete patent specification and application to meet standards for filing locally, regionally and globally.

Drafting usually requires personal/video conference/telephone (where permissible) disclosure meetings (DM) with our dedicated staff in order to clearly comprehend the inventive concept and subject matter along with the preferred implementations/embodiments to maximize the impact of patent applications.

We also proof read Patent Applications to understand and ensure that every patent application is semantically and syntactically correct before filing.

Patent Filing And Docketing

We help you file your application with the Ghana Industrial Property Office (GHIPO); the Trademarks, Patents, and Designs Registry, Commercial Law Department, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Nigeria (IPO Nigeria); the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO); and the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization. We may represent you across the African continent through our affiliate offices and follow up your application until the end.

As the patent application makes its way through the approval process, there are many filing deadlines, documents, forms, drawings, and statements that are kept track of. Patent docketing ensures that all the deadlines are met and all the documents are labeled and kept in the correct file, so they can be tracked. We keep track of all the pre-filing, post-filing, and post-grant dates and deadlines associated with our client’s patents.

Training

We offer virtual and in-person training on patent searches, patent drafting, patent analysis, IP Awareness/ IP Management Educational Programmes to individuals, groups/teams and corporate entities as the case may be at your premises.

The training may be basic (1 week), intermediate (1 month) or intensive (3 months).

Consultancy Services

We provide consultancy services for institutions, groups and individuals who are interested in developing IP strategies for their entities. Our services include drafting a policy or ensuring that your IP policy is in compliance with best standards. We also provide strategic guidance on the commercialization and acquisition of patented products or inventions.