Search and monitoring

We have the in-house ability to conduct searches for the Czech and Slovak Republic, European Community and most worldwide regions. We also search, utilizing experienced search firms in all countries.

Through searches, watching services and private investigations, the firm is often able to detect infringers and counterfeiters at an early stage, thus permitting swift action to prevent the pirating of valuable trade mark rights, both in the Czech Republic and abroad.

Should you desire to use a mark, with or without registration, a professional trade mark search is recommended to determine whether your mark is eligible for use and registration. A trade mark search could also alert you to whether your use of the mark would infringe upon another party’s trade mark rights. It will help you find out whether your mark is available and whether or not you can claim exclusive rights for it.

Patents as source of information
Using modern online patent databases, a huge amount of information can be obtained selectively and very rapidly. For example, the following searches of patent literature can be performed, and are of great strategic interest to companies.

In all fields of competition, in particular in the areas protected by special rights (patent right, trade mark right, etc.) it is advisable to conduct a search, prior to going on the market, for the existence of prior rights in order to avoid possible collisions.

Monitoring

Our firm monitors maintenance fees and prosecution for patents, trade marks, designs and other IP rights worldwide.

Monitoring your competitors

We also carries out competitor monitoring. This monitoring provides continuous information about the patent activities of others, and can provide indications of, for instance, future competing products or possible patent infringement.

We can:

• conduct industry sector monitoring for clients in patents, designs and trade marks,
• advise on patent citation watches where a client’s patents are cited in third party applications,
• maintain watching services to identify applications to register trade marks anywhere in the world, which may conflict with our clients’ own trade marks. The Watch Service is also made available to other firms in the trade mark field who do not have this capability.