Please fill out the order form with your brand data and select the FTO search, we will then send you a price quote.
Trademark Search for (possible) Infringing Trademark
FTO (Freedom-to-operate) Search is the examination of whether an intellectual property right could be infringed (in the distribution of a product or service). An FTO search is used to check whether, for example, a 3D printer could be sold in Germany.
Depending on the market density, an FTO search can therefore be a very important element in deciding whether a specific product or service can be distributed or not in a particular country. This does not necessarily have to be limited to distribution, but can also cover production or ownership, depending on the type of property right.
Not proceeding an FTO search, in the worst case can lead not only to the destruction of all goods infringing a patent, utility model, design patent, trademark or variety may be threatened, but could also end in a claim for injunctive relief, information and damages. Be careful and let us advice you.
Please note, however, that there is no such thing as a 100% secure FTO research, since in many areas there are industrial property rights that cannot be searched with certainty (e.g. unpublished patents, utility models, used trademarks, unregistered EU designs, competition law performance protection, etc).
Therefore, although an FTO research leads to a very significant risk reduction, it does not lead to a complete exclusion of risks.