Patent/Technology Watch
A patent or technology watch is continuous monitoring of a defined technical field — not a one-off study. We report new published applications and granted patents, track the filing activity of key industry players, and flag changes in legal status while there's still time to act on them.
Who it's for: IP managers and R&D teams tracking a competitor or a technical field, and patent holders safeguarding a key asset who need to know when filings or legal status change.
New filings & grants
Newly published applications and newly granted patents in your technology.
Competitor activity
The filing behaviour of the players you care about most.
Legal status changes
Grants, expirations, lapses and reassignments as they happen.
A watch vs. a one-time search
A one-time search answers a question at a fixed date. A watch keeps looking after that date, because applications publish only after a delay and the record for an active field keeps changing.
| One-time search | Watch | |
|---|---|---|
| Question | Does prior art exist, is a product clear to launch — answered once | What's changed since the last cycle, reviewed on an ongoing basis |
| Timeframe | Fixed date | Standing, on a regular cycle |
| What it catches | What's in the record on that date | New publications, grants and status events as they appear |
How the watch keeps running
The same cycle repeats: what changed gets reported, and what needs a decision gets flagged.
Setting up a watch
The starting point is a description of the technology in your own terms, not search syntax. From there we build and refine the profile.
- The technology to monitor, described the way you'd explain it, not as search syntax.
- Competitors and applicants you want tracked.
- Your own patents or applications that should be watched for status changes.
- Jurisdictions that matter to your business.
- How often you want updates.
What an update can trigger
| Event | Typical next step |
|---|---|
| A competitor's new application | An early review of your own filing plans, or a design change while the product is still in development |
| A grant in your field | A closer look at that claim scope |
| A lapse, expiration or reassignment | A look at how it affects licensing, acquisition or freedom-to-operate work |
What you receive
- Regular updates on published applications and granted patents in your technology
- Insights into the patenting activity of key industry players in the field
- Notifications of legal status changes: grants, expirations, lapses or reassignments
- A call to walk through each update and agree what needs action
Frequently asked questions
What is a patent or technology watch?
It's a standing monitoring service rather than a one-off study. A search profile is set for your technology, your competitors, or both, and the results are reviewed and sent to you on a regular cycle. Each update covers newly published applications, newly granted patents, the filing behaviour of key players, and legal status events such as grants, expirations, lapses and reassignments. The purpose is to keep decisions current rather than to answer a single question once.
How does a watch differ from a one-time patent search?
A one-time search answers a question at a fixed date — whether prior art exists, or whether a product is clear to launch. A watch keeps looking after that date. Applications publish only after a delay from their filing date, so the record for an active field keeps changing. A watch catches new publications, grants and status events as they appear, letting a team react to a competitor filing or a lapsed patent while the information is still useful.
What do we need to supply to set up a watch?
A description of the technology to be monitored is the starting point, in your own terms rather than search syntax. It helps to add the competitors and applicants you care about, any patents or applications of your own that should be tracked for status changes, the jurisdictions that matter to your business, and how often you want updates. The search profile is built from that and refined once you've seen the first set of results.
How is a watch used once updates start arriving?
Updates are meant to trigger decisions, not to be filed away. A newly published application from a competitor can prompt an early review of your own filing plans, or a design change while a product is still in development. A grant in your field may call for a closer look at claim scope. Lapses, expirations and reassignments show where rights have fallen away or moved, which affects licensing, acquisition and freedom-to-operate work.
Set up a watch
Tell us the field or competitors you want tracked, and we'll build the profile.
